Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown?
by Animatic Psychopath
Summary: Heavily inspired by Snoopy Come Home and the Disney film Tangled,this sequel to Journey On Charlie Brown focuses on the boy and some of his friends going out to resuce a lost childhood freind of his. New Perils,New Songs,A New Advenure Awaits. PEANUTS characters created by Charles M Shultz and owned by DHX MEDIA.
1. Chapter 1: The Letter

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown? A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 1: The Letter

Normally an everyday story like this would begin in Sparkyville,where we would see Charlie Brown and his friends embark on another adventure or the likes,but this story starts far far away. Miles and miles away from Sparkyville in the middle of a dark and gloomy forest in the dead of a stormy night,there stood a tall and forbidding building with plenty of windows,an entirely abandoned look due to the cracks in the building,and a clock tower that slowly ticked its long hands. A single bright flash of lightning illuminated the rusted and falling apart sign that read "Mrs Hampton's Home For Abandoned Children. Adoptions Available."

Behind the tallest possible window,was a typical small bedroom with only a single dirty and messed up bed,a dresser,and a door that led to the outside hallway. Inside the room was a small and shadowy figure,but due to the time of day and the lack of light aside from a few orange lit lanterns that hang on the walls,she couldn't be seen. The only bit of matter that could be seen was the orange light reflecting off her body,and she appeared to be intending to sneak out.

She didn't say a word aside from a quick and nervous whisper to herself "Okay,I just gotta get to the main office,write this letter,and send it to him. I hope he gets it. Here we go." before she quietly creaked the door open leading to the hallway. She quietly tiptoed through the dark and mostly empty hall with a lit candle so she could see better,she sneaked past what appeared to be simple guards with the classic throw a penny trick,and she soon made it to the main office without major trouble. Like before she quietly creaked the unlocked doors open to reveal a big and spacious office,that had a decently sized wooden table that contained the owner's supplies,a big window that revealed the entirety of the mostly empty and bare parking lot,and a massive portrait of the owner herself: Mrs Hampton.

* * *

The girl was getting more and more nervous by the minute due to her being so close to her goal,but she stuck to her guns and continued onward as she opened the desk drawer and took out a piece of paper,an envelope,and a pen. She sat it down on the table and said to herself "You gotta be quick,she could come back any moment.' before she quickly and frantically wrote her letter to this mystery boy of hers. She was just about to finish writing when she heard some footsteps approaching the door that led outside,she panicked and hid under the desk as she started to heavily breath.

Once the door opened and the mystery figure walked in,her heart started to heavily pound,but she tried to muffle the sound of it with a spare pillow that was lying under the desk,however she panicked even more when she realized that the letter was still on the table and that the figure could grab it and expose her. Thankfully before the figure could,a guard called out to her for a unknown reason and she soon left the office to the girl's relief. She wasted no time and emerged from the desk with the intent to finish the letter,but her heart would be shattered when she saw that the letter was gone,the figure had taken it.

Her heart started to pound again as she whispered to herself "No no no no. I gotta get back to my room." before she snuck out of the office and headed back to her room,while still avoiding guards and even the figure that interrupted her writing. She soon made it back to her bed room door and crept back into her bed as she acted like she had been sleeping the whole time,but before she fell asleep she thought to herself "I may have messed up,but I'll get out of here someday. I know I will."

* * *

The next morning soon arrived and she awoke with a long stretch and drawn out yawn,as the yellow sunlight coming through the window revealed her appearance,as well as the overwhelming amount of dust particles that accompanied the room. She had a purple dress with a violet colored bow tied to the back,and long luxurious blonde hair. She looked outside the window after stretching her back to hopefully see a car of a arriving family that wanted to adopt her,but like every morning she was met with a bare and empty parking lot with not a sign of life in sight aside from the endless barrage of trees and forests.

She slowly got out of her bed and opened the window to embrace the cool,breezy morning air before a green toad and blue bird jumped on her from out the window. The girl let out a surprised and startled scream as she fell back on her bed to which the toad and bird cackled with mocking and playful laughter at her. Once she regained her posture and fixed her messed up hair,she angrily scolded them "Jasper,Amy,you two know I don't like being jumpscared in the morning. Or at all!"

Jasper the toad playfully smiled while Amy the bird was still snickering at their prank,but the girl brushed their antics aside and somberly continued "Well anyway,long story short,the letter to him failed. I was so close to finishing the letter but mother came into the office and snatched it away before I could finish it. Luckily I wasn't caught,but I lost the letter."

Amy sadly awed at the girl's sumuraziation of her failed plan,while Jasper rolled his eyes but the girl got a little more uplifted and stated "Well,even if the letter to Charlie Brown failed,I can still try to get out of here by convincing mother. I mean the last kid in the orphanage got adopted a month ago,and I think I'm getting to the age where I can start making my own decisions. Mother told me last night that she had to go to the store today,so why don't we fix up the place before she gets back?"

Amy ecstatically agreed with the girl's idea and tweeted "Yes yes." in animal talk while Jasper merely croaked "Whatever.' " before they got up on the girl's shoulders while she enthusiastically stated "I'm leaving sometime soon,and hopefully today will be the day." The girl then jumped right out of her bed and ran out of her room to start cleaning up as well as start her normal day.

 _ **Girl:**_

 _7 am the usual morning lineup._

 _Start on the chores and sweep till the floor's all clean._

 _Polish and wax,do laundry and mop and shine up._

 _Sweep again and by then it's like 7:15._

 _And so I'll read a book,or maybe two or three._

 _I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery._

 _I'll play guitar and knit and cook and basically._

 _Just wonder when will my life begin?_

 _Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking._

 _Paper-mache,a bit of ballet and chess._

 _Pottery and ventriloquy,candle-making._

 _Then I'll stretch,maybe sketch,take a climb,sew a dress!_

 _And I'll reread the books if I have time to spare._

 _I'll paint the walls some more,I'm sure there's room somewhere._

 _And then I'll brush and brush,and brush and brush my hair._

 _Stuck in the same place I've always been._

 _And I'll keep wonderin' and wonderin' and wonderin' and wonderin' when will my life begin?_

 _One night,a family will appear._

 _Just like they do in all my dreams,each night._

 _What is it like,out there where I'm loved?_

 _Now that I'm older,mother might just let me go?_

After a while the girl soon sat down at the edge of a window in the clock tower area of the orphanage,and she slowly lifted her head up to look at the clouds as she had them form the shape of her being adopted by a family in her mind,and soon afterwards the clouds disbanded and became unrecognizable as the sun let in god rays into the clock tower.

" **WHEN WILL MY LIFE BEGIN" COPYRIGHT OF WALT DISNEY RECORDS**

 _Author's Note._

 _Yes I'm back with another Peanuts Musical,this one will be darker than the first one,and it will heavily focus on a brand new OC I made,that being the girl in this opening prologue. Stay tuned for more and I'm glad I'm back._


	2. Chapter 2: Summertime Jamboree

Chapter 2: Summer Time Jamboree

So it appeared that miles away from Sparkyville,a mysterious and sheltered girl lived in an isolated and mostly abandoned orphanage,and she seemed to have some strong ties to Charlie Brown in the past,to the point where she tried to write a letter to him and failed. Back in Sparkyville by the way,it seemed to be a typical and peaceful day,with very few clouds in the sky and the only sound to be heard was the summertime breeze brushing through the leaves of the pine trees. Everything seemed to be perfectly normal,all the kids in the neighborhood were at school receiving their education,and Snoopy along with Woodstock were quietly sleeping on the red doghouse like they usually did. Meanwhile in the classroom of Mrs Othmar,the Peanuts gang sat at their desks and were anxiously waiting for something to happen,in fact all of the classes and kids in the school were. Each and every kid in the class was actively watching the clock in the same manner that a vulture would eye a dying animal in the dessert.

Linus,who was anxiously eyeing the clock as well as trying to pay attention to his schoolwork unlike the others,turned to the desk bending him and asked out of curiosity "So Charlie Brown,what do you plan on doing this summer?" to which Charlie Brown lifted his head up from behind the book he was reading to face the boy and shrugged "I don't know Linus. I'm sure not going to camp this year,but I also don't want to be sitting around and doing nothing the whole vacation you know?" to which Linus smiled and happily retorted "Well I'll be going to Violet's summer party tonight. She said everyone's invited,even you."

Charlie Brown as a fault of this got a surprised and puzzled smile on his face as he happily remarked in shock "Well that's…..sudden. Violet never invites me to her parties. No one invites me to parties at all actually." before he lifted his eyes upwards at the ticking clock along with everyone else,and it was starting to feel like it was permanently stuck on 1:59 PM while he thought to himself "I just want this day to end already. I want summer to start." Immediately after he thought that however,the clock finally ticked once again and it was officially 2:00 PM as all the kids in the entire school screamed with cheers and applause while they ran out the school and shouted all at once "Summer! Yay!"

"Party at my place tonight! And everyone is invited!" Violet cheerully announced when she went outside to the school courtyard for the entire school and neighborhood to hear to which they all cheered and applauded once again. Even Snoopy and Woodstock managed to hear Violet's over the top announcement due to their increased hearing as animals as they both shot wide awake and happily danced with each other before Snoopy jumped off the doghouse and took out an unlit neon sign from the inside.

He sat it on top of his doghouse afterwards and expected it to turn on,but unfortunately it didn't and after getting frustrated with the sign and beating it up for a few seconds,Woodstock soon noticed from the sidelines that it actually wasn't plugged in and decided to fix their little mistake. Instantly the neon sign came on in a bright flash on as the mere shock of it flung Snoopy right off while it revealed in yellow,green,and blue colored letters "Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown?" before Snoopy eventually regained his posture and happily ran off to embrace the summertime spirit while he also played/messed around with some of the local kids.

 _ **Snoopy:**_

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,there's excitement in the air._

 _People pouring in from near and far._

 _'Cause summertime is here,and it's the best time of the year._

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,everybody will be there._

 _So if you're a popper or a sha,do something with your hair._

 _You mustn't wear an outfit that's naughty!_

 _A turban that's unraveling just won't do._

 _No earrings that are tasteless or gaudy._

 _You're gonna look gorgeous when I get through._

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,so I'm goin' to paint the town._

 _If you want to see what colors are,follow me around._

 _ **Snoopy And Kids:**_

 _Summertime is here and this is gonna be,the party of the century._

 _ **Snoopy:**_

 _I'll hog the dance floor and you're gonna see,just how much I can do._

 _You've heard of your safari bar mitzvahs._

 _You've all been to a luau sweet sixteen._

 _Well none of them compare to what this is._

 _The food'll be disgusting,by evening you'll be bursting._

 _ **Girls:**_

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,and it's got us all aglow._

 _ **Nerdy Kid:**_

 _If a blockhead could have gotten in,maybe I could do it._

 _ **Snoopy:**_

 _Sure there's nothing to it!_

 _ **Snobby Girl:**_

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,but I'm not sure that I'll go._

 _For although the host is ladidah,the guests are awfully low._

 _ **Snoopy:**_

 _And now we take you down to the Grey residence,where everyone is celebrating right now._

 _Without Thibault and all his malice,everybody is happy!_

 _What could possibly go wrong?_

 _ **Boys:**_

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,and we'll all dance till the sunrise._

 _ **Boy:**_

 _While we're all munching caviar,we'll soon realize,vacation has only started._

 _ **Snoopy:**_

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,and the food is pouring in._

 _I like this party stuff so far,maybe if I'm pleasant,they'll give me a present._

 _We've ordered just a few tasteful flowers,and valets who will carefully park for you._

 _The female's have been dressing for hours,girls you look just lovely and so grown up too._

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,guests are filling up the room._

 _But there's something missing,yes a-ha!_

 _ **Linus:**_

 _Where's Charlie Brown?_

Despite the fact that everyone in the neighborhood was quickly arriving at Violet's house for her party,Charlie Brown merely decided to take it easy and lay on the brick wall that he and his friends would often talk at. He sighed and stared off into the evening setting sun before Linus,Snoopy,and Woodstock eventually found him as the latter asked "There you are Charlie Brown,why don't you come with us to the party? It's starting right now and they're wondering where you are." to which Charlie Brown turned around to see the three of them in party hats,while Snoopy had a party horn while he smiled and greeted "Hey you three,I'll be there in a little bit. I just wanted to do some thinking out here for a while."

Linus however brushed aside Charlie Brown's staple of wishy washiness and happily encouraged him to come along now "Charlie Brown,you are the only one I know who would intentionally show up late to a summertime party. Summer vacation has just started,you can do that later on. Let's start off our summer with a bang."

"I guess I have all summer to do some thinking,all right you three,let's go." Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and enthusiastically took up Linus's offer to go ahead and go to the party as Snoopy blew his party horn right into Woodstock's ear,and afterwards they were offically off to the party of the century.

 _ **Linus:**_

 _There's a party here in Sparkyville,and it's starting right away._

 _Let's getcha dressed 'cause you're invited._

 _You're invited Charlie Brown!_

Pretty soon afterwards Charlie Brown,Linus,Snoopy and Woodstock arrived at Violet's party,and instead of Violet shutting him like she usually did _,_ she gladly let him in as he stammered "Thank you for inviting me Violet." to which the girl laughed and playfully retorted "Don't push your luck Charlie Brown." before she shut the door behind them.

 _ **All:**_

 _Summertime is here and this is gonna be,the party of the century._

 _Amazing how this year went on so long._

 _ **Linus:**_

 _Summertime is here._

 _ **Lucy:**_

 _Summertime is here._

 _ **Peppermint Patty:**_

 _Summertime is here._

 _ **Snoopy:**_

 _Look at all this food!_

 _ **Scheroder:**_

 _Summertime is here._

 _ **Sally:**_

 _Summertime is here._

 _ **Charlie Brown:**_

 _Summertime is here_

 _ **All:**_

 _Summertime is here at the party,in Sparkyville!_

 _(Such a sight to see,come on,go with me!)_

 _To the party here in Sparkyville!_

Everyone in the gang was here and accounted for,Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Franklin, Shermy, Schroeder, Sally, Pig-Pen, Patty Swanson, Violet,and Freida. The only one who wasn't invited and for good reason was Thibault,but aside from him,the entire gang was there.

The party itself was indeed huge,there was lots of fancy food that Snoopy scarfed down despite him not even knowing what half of it was,there were games such as musical chairs and limbo,and there was even an inflatable swimming pool in the back. The party was the biggest that the neighborhood had even seen,they all laughed,sang,and danced to whatever song was placed on the record player. Charlie Brown had an amazing time with everyone,and it was definitely a great way to kick off the summer,but even the party had to end and he along with his friends were soon on their way home. Once Charlie Brown said goodbye to Peppermint Patty and Marcie,he and Sally headed into their house while Snoopy and Woodstock fell asleep before they could even reach the doghouse due to them being drunk on root beer and ice cream.

"I was so close to kissing him big brother,but the lights turned on just as my lips were about to touch his cheek." Sally angrily described her failed attempt to kiss Linus as Charlie Brown jokingly retorted "Linus has nerves and senses of steel. Even if the lights stayed off during the hide and seek in the dark game he would have noticed you." Sally scoffed at her brother's confidence that she would have failed regardless before she bid him "Goodnight" to which he bid her back.

As Charlie Brown entered his room and put on his pajamas,he couldn't help but think to himself "I like being invited to parties. Me having fun with the others,if I didn't get invited I would still be laying in my bed with a stomach ach. Well here starts another summer vacation Charles,let's hope it can be enjoyable." before he crawled into his bed and closed his eyes for a well deserved rest.

* * *

In a lucious and beautiful field in the middle of nowhere,Charlie Brown suddenly awoke from under the tall shining blades of orange and yellow grass as rose up from the grass and brushed the blades off from his clothes and head while he thought to himself "Where am I? This place is…...so beautiful." He started to observe his surroundings in the hopes to find signs of life,and he even looked up at the sky to see orange and yellow clouds corresponding to the colors of the grass he was standing on. It was indeed a truly beautiful stretch of land that could only be seen once in a lifetime,but his awe at the sheer beauty would be trumped when he heard a truly beautiful voice sing a little tune.

 _ **Voice:**_

 _Every night I lie in bed._

 _The brightest colors fill my head,_

 _A million dreams are keeping me awake._

 _I think of what the world could be._

 _A vision of the one I see._

 _A million dreams is all it's gonna take._

 _ **Charlie Brown:**_

 _A million dreams for the world we're gonna make._

Charlie Brown placed his hand on his mouth out of shock that he finished this song that he had never heard of until that point,but he eventually brushed it aside and tried to compliment the nonexistent singer before his eyes caught something in the looked like there was a little girl that was younger than him,she had short blonde hair and appeared to be facing away from him. He ran through the tall grass to try and talk to her as he called out "Hey you! Was that you singing?" only to receive no answer.

When he finally reached the back of the girl and realized that she wasn't answering,he tried to touch her shoulder to get her attention,but his hand merely phased through her to his shock. He tried to comprehend what was going on for a second until the girl started to make a run for the nearby woods as Charlie Brown called out to her "Hey wait up!" before he chased after her. Despite her slightly younger looking age than him,he could never get remotely close to her,and he was starting to get short of breath and dizzy as a result until he reached a typical concrete road.

The girl was standing in the middle of the road and still facing away from Charlie Brown as he gave a sigh of relief and tired to call out to her once again "You sure are fast,what are you doing out here,and…...what was that beautiful song you were singing?" only for girl like before to not answer at all,and since he knew he was phasing through her when he touched her,he ultimately gave up and decided to head back to the field. But just as he was about to head back into the woods,a shocking sight and noise stopped him dead in his tracks when he heard what sounded like the horn of a car and the screeching of tires as what looked like a car came speeding down the road before it hit the girl head on. The impact was so fierce and strong that the girl flew right down the road,but it also caused the car to flip and land by the metal rails.

"OH MY GOSH! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Charlie Brown gasped and shouted in a panic as he tried to make a quick dash towards the girl to see if she was alright,but just as he reached the wreckage of the car,a gas leak combined with the heat of the sun caused a devastating and powerful explosion that knocked the boy back and consumed the girl.

Charlie Brown then quickly shot out of his bed as he fearfully shouted in shock while he held his hand out "No!" and it indeed took a while for him to fully realize that it was all a dream and that he was back in his bed,but what was so terrifying about it was that it felt so real. He was covered in sweat,and he could have sworn that he felt blades of grass in his pajamas. It was now morning and the beginning of day 2 of summer vacation,but he just sat in his bed in awe for what felt 30 minutes as he meekly told himself in an attempt to contemplate what he had just seen "It was a dream…...but…...which part was the dream?"

" **THERE'S A PARTY HERE IN AGRABAH" COPYRIGHT OF WALT DISNEY RECORDS**

 **"A MILLION DREAMS REPRISE" COPYRIGHT OF ATLANTIC RECORDS**


	3. Chapter 3: Motherly Advice

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown? A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 3: "Motherly" Advice

Back at the isolated orphanage,the girl definitely stayed true to her goal,for she had completely cleaned every nook and cranny of the orphanage. The walls were now painted over to hide the cracks,the air was fully freshened so the dust particles would be vanquished away,and she even fixed up the rusted up sign and made it less crooked so it could be more inviting. It was a grueling and frustrating experience due to her small size as well as the playful antics of Amy and Jasper,but at the end of the day she fixed up the place like she wanted. And that is meant literally because her mother was gone for the entire day,with not a single update or car of hers to be spotted at all.

At almost the same time that Charlie Brown woke up from his pleasant dream turned nightmare,the girl slowly woke up under the grandfather clock that stood in her mother's office due to a abrupt car horn. Apparently she passed out under it the night before due to her monstrous workload she gave herself.

Amy and Jasper awoke abruptly due to them sleeping on the girl's shoulder,and they didn't hold back in their anger as Amy pecked the girl in the head while Jasper merely hopped on her over and over again to no response from her. Amy's pecking was causing mild frustration with the girl as she stood up half asleep and yelled "Ow,ow,ow,Amy stop it. I'm sorry!"

That yelling of hers did stop Amy from continuing her tantrum,and the girl tried to apologize "I'm sorry,but it was mother's horn that stopped…...me." She slowed down when she was realizing what she was saying and quickly looked out the window to see her mother unpacking stuff from the car.

The girl started to happily and nervously panic as she ran through the house to make sure everything was as perfect as it could possibly be,and she quickly put on clean clothes and freshened up. She put on a black and more formal dress than usual and quickly ran to the front door with the intent of greeting her mother and helping her with the groceries. She started to smile very widely with almost all of her teeth showing and nervously clamped her hands together as Amy and Jasper rolled their eyes at her obviously trying too hard.

The girl was very quick to notice this and frantically asked "Am I trying too hard? Please tell me I'm trying too hard because I really don't want to mess this up." to which Amy and Jasper simultaneously nodded their heads. The girl started to think of other respectful to ways to look,but the sound of a door starting to unlock interrupted her rapidly varying thoughts as she shooed Amy and Jasper away "Oh no,she's coming in. Get out of here you two. She hates animals!" to which they did what they were told accordingly and hid behind the stairway leading up to the rooms of the orphans,and the girl quickly turned around when she heard the door open to reveal a large bag of groceries covering a figure.

"Mother! How wonderful to see you this fine morning." She enthusiastically greeted the figure and grabbed ahold of the large bag of groceries,which caused the figure to be fully revealed. She was a tall and thin woman who looked around 30,she had a very nice assortment of long black hair,red lips equivalent of a rose,and a black and red dress.

When the girl took the grocery bag away from her,she sighed at her daughter's help and showed severe gratitude "Oh my dear Rebecca,thanks for relieving me of the groceries. I don't think I could carry them for another second-" but she stopped when she saw the remarkable and pristine work that Rebecca had done of the place.

"Did-did you do this? The orphanage looks amazing." The woman gasped when she saw that the orphanage was now looking like a newly built chateau,and not the empty and abandoned look of a long forgotten mansion.

"It was just something I felt I outta do,considering how much you do for me." Rebecca replied while she quickly unloaded the groceries and put them away in the kitchen.

When Mrs Hampton walked in the kitchen with the intent of putting away the groceries herself,she gasped at the fact that they were already put up and remarked with a slight hint of suspicion "You are super energetic today Rebecca,what's going on?"

Rebecca's stomach churned at the possibility that her escape scheme could get discovered,and made up a lie as she chuckled "Nothing mother. I'm just the way I usually am,you don't notice that sometimes?"

Mrs Hampton seemed to buy her lie and continued "If you're wondering the reason I didn't come home yesterday,it was that I got stuck in so much traffic that it was guaranteed that the cold stuff would thaw out. So I had to stop at a hotel and put my stuff in the local freezer."

Later on Rebecca was showing Mrs Hampton around to show her the work she did in the orphanage,and she was frankly impressed to say the least as she asked "So what have you been doing recently? Well aside from all this?" before they reached the office.

Rebecca shrugged her arms and nonchalantly replied "Oh nothing really,just playing guitar,reading,painting,all that kind of stuff." to which Mrs Hampton smiled devilishly and continued a little more seriously "Hmmm,what about writing?"

Rebecca's heart started to pound and she felt like she was starting to sweat bullets,but she still kept her dopey smile and lied once again "Uh-uh nothing about writing. I've never really been into writing before,so-so why start now?"

Mrs Hampton however didn't believe her lie and sarcastically retorted "Oh really? "Never been into writing before? Then I sure wonder how I came across this." before she took out the unfinished letter from the other night and slammed it on the office table.

Rebecca's eyes started to widen and her heart was pounding even harder now as Mrs Hampton sternly stated "I've taught you a lot of things my child,but I never taught you to lie,that's why you're so bad at it. So why don't you really tell me what's going on,and why this Charlie Brown boy matters to you?" to which Rebecca nervously gulped and took a deep breath before she reluctantly told her mother the truth "Mother,I am getting older,and I'm the only kid left in the orphanage,and I'm...starting to get lonely. So I was thinking that maybe you could put me up for a adoption interview,or maybe let me go and find my own home? Please."

Mrs Hampton however merely stood in complete silence for a minute with a cold and lifeless expression in her eyes,before she smiled manipulatively and refuted "Why Rebecca,you are far too young to embrace the cruel and harsh liberties of the the outside world."

"Well,maybe for a start or baby steps I could go outside? Like the parking lot?" Rebecca kindly suggested as she nervously held onto her hair only for Mrs Hampton to deny her once again.

 _ **Mrs Hampton:** You want to go outside? _

_Why Rebecca look at you as fragile as a flower._

 _Still a little sapling,just a sprout._

 _You know why you stay up in this tower._ ("I know but-")

 _That's right,to keep you safe and sound dear._

 _Guess I always knew this day was coming._

 _Knew that soon you'd want to leave the nest._

 _Soon but not yet_ ("But-") _shh!_

 _Trust me pet,mother knows best._

 _Mother knows best,listen to your mother,it's a scary world out there._

 _Mother knows best,one way or another something will go wrong,I swear!_

 _Ruffians,thugs,poison ivy,quicksand,cannibals and snakes,the plague,(no!)_

 _Yes! (But-!)_

 _Also large bugs,men with pointy teeth and stop no more you'll just upset me!_

 _Mother's right here,mother will protect you,darling here's what I suggest._

 _Skip the drama,stay with mama,mother knows best!_

 _Go ahead,get trampled by a rhino,go ahead,get mugged and left for dead._

 _Me I'm just your mother what do I know?_

 _I only bathed,and changed,and nursed you._

 _Go ahead and leave me,I deserve it._

 _Let me die alone here,be my guest._

 _When it's too late you'll see just wait,mother knows best!_

 _Mother knows best,take it from your mumsy,on your own you won't survive._

 _Sloppy,underdressed,immature,clumsy,please,they'll eat you up alive!_

 _Gullible,naive,positively grubby,ditzy and a bit,well,hmm,vague._

 _Plus I believe,gettin' kinda chubby,I'm just saying 'cause I love you._

 _Mother understands,mother's hear to help you,all I have is one request!_

Mrs Hampton's violent and derogatory description of Rebecca as well as the world around them put a big dampener on her as she gave her arms open for a hug that Rebecca took no chances on. While they were giving each other a hug however,Mrs Hampton looked down at her daughter and kindly asked "Rebecca?" to which the girl looked up at her mother and respectfully replied "Yes?" before Mrs Hampton got a very stern look in her eyes and coldly requested "Don't ever ask to leave this orphanage,again."

Rebecca as a resulted started to form tears in her eyes,for she really wanted to leave the orphanage so she could find a family,or possibly even Charlie Brown,but deep down in her heart she knew it was right to comply and meekly obliged "Yes mother." Mrs Hampton however scoffed at the sheer sadness and disappointment in her daughter's voice and tried to make her feel better "I love you very much dear."

"I love you more."

"I love you most."

 _Don't forget it,you'll regret it,mother knows best._

"Do you understand why now Rebecca? I can't have you leaving this place,the world is a dark and horrible place that I couldn't stand to see you get lost in." Mrs Hampton asked if Rebecca understood what she was getting on about from earlier to which Rebecca reluctantly confirmed that she did "I understand mother. I'd…..like to be alone for a while." before she slowly walked away to her room.

* * *

Rebecca slowly creaked the bedroom door open and starred out her window into the woods down below. She sighed dissappinted as she felt the wind slowly brush across her face,until she felt the patter of little feet on her shoulder. She turned around to be face to face with Jasper and Amy,who saw the entire conversation with her and her mother,and they decided to try and comfort her.

"Hey you guys,it didn't go well. So I guess I'll be here for a while longer,and…..who knows maybe I'll be here forever. *sigh* I guess it can't be too bad,consider all the things I already have. Right?" She asked herself and the others as they couldn't make a proper or fitting response,since it was a double edged sword question. She did have a lot of stuff thanks to her adoptive mother,but she also was missing a lot of things too such as a real family and experiencing the outside world,it was a very mixed and unfortunate life for anyone although she didn't want to admit it.

 _ **Rebecca:** I've got my mother's love,I shouldn't ask for more._

 _I've got so many things,I should be thankful for._

 _Yes I have everything,except I guess…..a door._

 _Perhaps it's better that I stay in,but tell me….when will my life begin?_

* * *

Charlie Brown was slowly walking down the street of his neighborhood with his head hung,even after a good breakfast and a nice variety of Saturday morning cartoons to keep him entertained,he still couldn't get the dream out of his mind,and who could blame him? It felt so real and so mysterious at the same time that he could remember every detail from start to finish. After he fed Snoopy and to have him react as over the top as usual,Charlie Brown decided to head to Lucy for help. After walking for a few minutes,he finally reached Lucy's psychiatric help booth where she was "busy" with a mirror and another kid at the same time,but when she saw Charlie Brown approaching her she shooed the other kid away to which he rolled his eyes.

"Don't you think that was a little excessive Lucy?" Charlie Brown asked when he saw the kid slowly get up and walk away disappointed to which Lucy replied while she tried to appear more professional "Ignore him,he was way over his given time and he lost me at a few points,but anyway what brings you here today Charlie Brown? Anxiety? Wishy washiness? Pantaphobia?"

Charlie Brown hung his head a little low and corrected her "Actually it's none of those Lucy,it's something from last night. Do you think dreams could be telling someone something? Because I had this one dream last night,and it felt so real and important." to which Lucy reopened her closed eyes and asked him out of a sense of intrigue "Tell me about this dream of yours,detail by detail if possible." before Charlie Brown sighed and obliged "Well it'll be easy since I do remember everything about it. Well to start,I was in this beautiful field that consisted of tall brown grass,and due to the time of day it was literally shining white. It was around sunset or very early morning,and I was hearing this beautiful voice sing a wonderful song,but what was weird was that I seemed to know it despite never hearing it at all in my life. I soon saw this younger girl and when I tried to speak to her,she ran away through a patch of woods and onto a road…..and that's when a car hit her. I tried to help her but the wreckage exploded,and that's when I woke up. So I am trying to see if if was just a dream,or if there's something else about it. What do you think Lucy?"

Lucy was flabbergasted and dumbfounded at such a dream,and she tapped her fingers on the wood countertop while she tried to figure out an answer. Charlie Brown nervously tapped his feet at the possibility that Lucy wouldn't have a suitable answer,but soon Lucy finally replied and asked "Are you sure you didn't eat too much last night? Eating a lot right before going to bed can cause weird and unusual dreams,often nightmares even."

"I'm positive Lucy,it felt too real to just be a simple dream…...or could it? I don't know. Lucy,do you have any tips that can help me control my dreams,like something to make me a feel a little more in control?" Charlie Brown asked with a hint of uncertainty in his voice to which Lucy suggested "I'd tell you stuff about lucid dreaming,but that would take a lifetime and I don't think your lifespan will cover it. However I do know some things I could tell you,I suggest not eating or drinking anything 2 hours before you go to bed,make your bed as relaxing as possible,and don't think about anything. Also,the number 1 sign of it being more than a dream is if it's recurring,remember that."

"I just gotta do those things and I'll be able to figure out if it's just a dream or not? Okay I'll give it a try tonight,thanks Lucy." Charlie Brown ecstatically thanked Lucy before he put a nickel in her jar to which she reacted accordingly.

* * *

Charlie Brown spent the rest of the day as he would any other day,he talked with Linus on the brick wall,he fed Snoopy accordngly,and he even tried baseball practice despite the next season not until school stated,but once night time came he took Lucy's advice. He didn't eat or drink anything,he made his bed and sleeping conditions as comfortable as possible,and he made sure to clear his mind of any preemptive thoughts. He was just about to head off to bed and Snoopy was sitting on his bed when he turned towards his dog and sighed "Snoopy,I really have to know what this dream was about. It felt far too real for it to just be a dream,and I can't get that song she sang out of my head. Her voice was so beautiful,and it's feels like I know every word of it despite me never hearing it at all in my life.

He put on his pajamas without Snoopy looking,and he sat down on the edge of the bed as he happily remarked "You know,it does feel nice to have someone to talk to. Even if a dog can't respond back with words,he'll still sit there,listen to you,and be there for you." However when he turned towards Snoopy,he was surprised to see Snoopy snoring loudly and already sleeping,he also took the entire blanket as Charlie Brown sarcastically groaned "Man's best friend." After bringing out a spare blanket to use since Snoopy hogged the current one,Charlie Brown turned off his desk top lamp and quietly said to himself "Clear your mind. Clear your mind." before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Like Charlie Brown was expecting and hoping,he soon found himself back in the luscious field from the night before,only this time it was during the middle of the day and the grass was now entirely green and cut to be less tall. He gave a sigh of relief and thought to himself "Good,I'm back here. Now where's that girl?" He started to walk through the field and was in awe at the sheer beauty of it like before,the sun's warmth continuously beat down on his back but he didn't care,the grass felt extremely smooth and soft under his bare feet,and the clouds were all in the shape of many objects and abstract oddities.

He almost considered just laying down on the grass and looking up at the clouds,but before he could,a small person walked right through him. He gasped at the shock and turned towards the person expecting it to be the girl,but it was shockingly a younger version of himself. He did look slightly different in terms of size,but anyone could recognize him as Charlie Brown by noticing his round head,and of course his traditional clothing attire.

"Is that…..a younger me?" He asked himself out of surprise and shock,and soon decided to follow his younger self since he would just phase through him if he tried to talk to him. While he followed his younger self,he seemed to notice that the grass was starting to form into the shape and color of a sidewalk. He didn't even try to rationalize it,for he knew that he was dreaming and that he should just go along with it if he wanted to figure out what the dream meant. While they both walked down the sidewalk,they soon came across a girl sitting on the sidewalk,and like Charlie Brown was expecting,it was THE girl.

What was different about her was that this time he could see her face,and she appeared to be crying and in pain,she was covered in slight bruises and her clothes were dirty and ragged. Charlie Brown's younger self took notice of her misery and slowly walked up to her as he asked timidly "Are-are you alright?" The girl stopped her crying and looked up to see him looking down at her with concern,to which she started to get nervous and lied "I'm f-fine. It's nothing." Charlie Brown however saw through her lie and kindly asked "I don't think so,you're covered in bruises and dirt. Would you mind telling me what happened?"

"You actually want to talk to me? You-you actually want to hear what I say?" She asked out of confusion while she wiped her tears from her eyes,to which Charlie Brown replied as he held out his hand "Why wouldn't I? I shouldn't just judge you without even knowing you. What's your name? My name is Charles,but everyone calls me Charlie Brown."

The girl started to get a little more comfortable with his company and took his hand as she meekly answered "Rebecca. Rebecca Hornwell." to which Charlie Brown's older self softly gasped at the reveal of her name as he said to himself "Rebecca,so that's your name. What are you trying to tell me?" while his younger self asked "Hornwell? You mean you're the new kid who moved in a few days ago."

"Well sort of,we moved here but only temporarily for the summer. We actually live in Kansas,but this is our new summer home." Rebecca clarified to which Charlie Brown replied "Kansas huh,I've never been there before. Now would you mind telling me what happened to you?" before Rebecca angrily explained what had happened to her "Bullies. Everyone here just thinks I'm a weirdo,that's why I try to stay inside,because I know if I go outside,stuff like this will happen. Well at least until my parents force me to go out."

"That's funny. People think I'm a weirdo too,it gets hard sometimes granted,but I usually get through it in the end." Charlie Brown sympathized with Rebecca since she had to go through bad stuff too like he did to which she smiled and joked "So I guess we're two sides of the same coin."

"Yeah,hey-um,you want to play or something?" Charlie Brown asked while he nervously messed with his fingers,and Rebecca blushed at the offer before she asked "Why?" to which he replied "It's just that I think we're somewhat similar and...maybe I can help you with your problems. I don't know how,but I'll try."

"You know,why not? What do you wanna do?" Rebecca smiled and happily took him up on his offer as they got up and straightened out their posture,but Charlie Brown however didn't know exactly what to do since he merely shrugged his arms and timidly suggested "I don't know,maybe we can figure it out as we go?"

Afterwards both Charlie Brown and Rebecca started to smile at each other like freinds would as they happily ran off into the green field while Charlie Brown's older self confusingly remarked "I knew her? Is this…..a memory? Because this is starting to feel oddly…..familiar somehow." before he followed Rebecca and his younger self into the field out of curiosoty,and the grass started to form into the shape of pine trees as his younger self decided to play with and help Rebecca.

 _ **Charlie Brown:** I close my eyes,and I can see,a world that's waiting up for you,that you'll call your own. _

_Through the dark,through the door,that no one's been before,but it'll feel like home._

 _They can say,they can say it all sounds crazy._

 _They can say,they can say you lost your mind._

 _I don't care,I don't care so call me crazy,you can live in a world that you design._

 _Cause every night I'll lie in bed,the brightest colors will fill my head,a million dreams will keep me awake._

 _I'll think of what the world could be,a vision of the one you see,a million dreams is all it's gonna take._

 _A million dreams,for the world I'll help you make._

 _There's a house you can build,every room inside is filled,with things from faraway._

 _Special things,I compile,each one there to make you smile,on a rainy day._

 _They can say,they can it all sounds crazy._

 _They can say,they can say we've lost our minds._

 _I don't care,I don't care if they call us crazy._

 _We're on our way to a world that we desire._

Soon Charlie Brown started to slowly but surely remember this song although he never heard of before,and he was starting to think that this was less of a dream and more of a memory.

 _Every night I'll lie in bed,the brightest colors will fill my head,a million dreams will keep me awake._

 _I'll think of what the world could be,a vision of the one you see,a million dreams is all it's gonna take._

 _A million dreams,for the world I'll help you make._

However Charlie Brown would soon be shocked when he heard an older voice join in from behind as he turned around to see Rebecca,only she looked around his current age with blonde hair,a purple dress,and the most beautiful voice he ever heard.

 _ **Rebecca:** However big,however small,let me be part of it all. Share your dreams with me._

"Rebecca?"

 _You may be right,you may be wrong,but tell me that you'll come along._

 _To the world you see._

Charlie Brown was clearing trying to make some sort of sense in regards to Rebecca's older appearance,but he was too entrenched by the moment to care as he smiled,happily walked up to her and joined in with her singing.

 ** _Both:_** _To the world I close my eyes to see. I close my eyes to see!_

 _ **Charlie Brown:** Every night I'll lie in bed,the brightest colors will fill my head._

 _ **Rebecca:** A million dreams will keep me awake. _

_**Charlie Brown:** A million dreams,a million dreams. _

Charlie Brown and Rebecca soon proceeded to playfully dance with each other as the daytime sky quickly turned to a starry night with the full moon hanging above.

 _ **Both:** I'll think of what the world could be,a vision of the one you see,a million dreams is all it's gonna take._

 _A million dreams for the world we're gonna make._

 _For the world we're gonna make._

Charlie Brown and Rebecca soon stopped their playful banter and he tried to happily greet her and ask what she wanted to tell him,but before he could let out a word,she suddenly vanished away into ash particles to which gasped at the sight and tried to call out to her,but the ground and sky quickly started to burst into flames as he fell through the ground into a black limbo. He fell for what felt like hours as he screamed in a panic and closed his eyes hoping it to stop.

* * *

Charlie Brown quickly shot out of his bed covered in sweat and his heart pounding once again,only this time Snoopy was there to witness his sudden awakening as he jumped out of the bed and onto the ceiling. After Charlie Brown calmed down and was once again trying to figure out what the dream was about,Snoopy started angrily yapping at him to which he snapped out of his daze and meekly apologized "Sorry Snoopy,it was just so sudden. Now get down from there and go back to sleep if you want." Snoopy let go of the ceiling and fell back onto the bed with the intent of going back to sleep since it was still relatively early,while Charlie Brown tried to remember the dream detail by detail so he could tell Lucy "If you're still awake Snoopy,her name was Rebecca,and apparently she was bullied when she temporarily moved here for the summer. She must have come here before I adopted you,and I guess I offered to be her friend while she was here. I think it was more of…...a memory. But if it's a memory,what was up with the smoke and fire at the end? Did….did something happen to her?"

Charlie Brown then turned towards Snoopy and hopefully expected to see him listening,but of course he already went back to sleep and was snoring loudly as Charlie Brown groaned "At least Lucy will listen." before he got out of bed and started his day.

* * *

 **"MOTHER KNOWS BEST" and "WHEN WILL MY LIFE BEGIN REPRISE 1" COPYRIGHT OF WALT DISNEY RECORDS**

 **"A MILLION DREAMS" COPYRIGHT OF ATLANTIC RECORDS**


	4. Chapter 4: A Day At The Beach

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown: A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 4: A Day At The Beach

If Charlie Brown had no problem remembering the dreams before,they were suddenly now all he could think about. While he sat down at the kitchen table with some cold cereal,it soon got soggy because he was too focused on the dream and it's details to eat to which Snoopy came in and swallowed it all in one fell swoop. After watching some TV and doing a bit of personal thinking about whether or not he should tell people about this or keep it to himself,he eventually decided to go back to Lucy's booth and give her an update,well at least if she was there and not bothering Scheroder or fighting with Linus over his blanket.

As he exited his house and walked down the street to see Lucy,he suddenly stopped in his tracks when he saw that Linus was pleasantly sucking his thumb with his blanket at the brick wall by the pond. Seeing as Lucy wasn't at her psychiatric booth yet and that she put up a sign that read "The Doctor Is Out",he decided to join Linus at the wall and get into a discussion.

It was a fairly cloudy day compared to the last few days,it wasn't super hot but not super cool either,so it provided some nice weather for them to talk for a while. Charlie Brown laid against the brick wall and sighed as the water of the pond reflected off them before he spoke up polietly "Morning Linus."

"I know that tone of voice Charlie Brown. Something is bothering you." Linus calmly stated before he opened his eyes and continued "What's bothering you Charlie Brown?"

Charlie Brown knew he had to tell Linus the truth about the dreams,especially since Linus seemed more professional than Lucy,so he took a deep breath and let it all out "Linus,the past couple days I've been having these dreams,they both were about me in a field and meeting this girl. But what was strange about them was that they both ended in disasters,I was younger in one of them like it was a flashback,and they both felt…..real. I mean the first dream was a little fuzzy in some places,but the second one…..I remember everything. Linus…...do you you think they could be me remembering something?"

Linus's eyes were widened out of sheer surprise and he even dropped his blanket on the ground before he asked "Well uh…..you said the dreams felt real and that there was a girl in the field?"

"Yeah. When I woke up it took awhile for me to realize that they were dreams and not real. The girl wasn't Heather though,she had blonde hair and said her name was Rebecca and that she moved here for the summer. And what was weirder was that I saw a younger me comforting her after she got bullied,they were both the strangest things Linus." Charlie Brown clarified things in more detail as he slowly started to get more energetic and excited,almost as if he felt ecstatic to possibly be remembering something from his early childhood.

Linus got a little less shocked and more curious at the descriptions of his dreams before he smiled and joked "Charlie Brown,you are the only person I know who can surprise one of us each and every day. You made Christmas into a problem,you ran away for a total of 9 weeks,and now you have these strange dreams. If these are indeed memories of something to do with this Rebecca girl,they will get more vivid in the next few days. If they get more detailed and vivid,that should be a dead giveaway."

"Thanks Linus,I'm strangely feeling excited to learn more about this girl. Looks like I won't have to see Lucy after all." Charlie Brown chuckled when he realized he didn't have to wait for Lucy to get to her booth before Linus suddenly perked up and exclaimed "Oh yeah,me,the others and my family are going to the beach later. I almost forget to ask you if you,Sally,and Snoopy wanted to come?"

"That sounds great Linus. It is summer after all." Charlie Brown happily took up Linus's invitation before Linus smiled "Why don't you all go ahead and get ready. My parents will pick ya'll up later." to which Charlie Brown happily agreed "Ok we will!" before he ran off to get ready with his family.

* * *

When he got back to his house,he saw that Sally was busy watching TV on the bean bag and told her more calmly "Hey Sally,Linus and his family are going to take us and the others to the beach later. Do you wanna come?" to which she instantly replied "Only for my sweet baboo." before Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and headed to the back yard.

However Charlie Brown would be surprised to see that Snoopy had already packed all his things including a pair of sunglasses,his red swim trunks,a umbrella and a entire picnic basket entirely for himself.

"Snoopy,how did you already know we were going to the beach?" Charlie Brown asked his dog dumbfounded but Snoopy didn't respond at all and merely yawned to which Charlie Brown groaned and headed back inside. A few hours later and Charlie Brown along with the others were all packed and ready for a nice,relaxing day at the beach. Charlie Brown,Sally,and Snoopy were waiting patiently at the front door of their house for Linus and his family to pick them up when Charlie Brown whispered into Snoopy's ear "So Linus thinks the dreams may be me remembering something,if the dreams keep on happening and get more detailed,that should be a giveaway. I think I'm getting closer to finding out who this Rebecca person is. " but Snoopy merely pretended to fall asleep on the couch so Charlie Brown would go away.

* * *

They didn't have to wait for much longer and they soon heard the horn of the Van Pelts van outside as they hurried out so as not to keep them waiting,but not before Snoopy entrusted Woodstock to look after his doghouse while they were gone. Accompanying Linus was Lucy,Violet,Peppermint Patty,Marcie,Patty,Scheroder,Rerun,Pig-Pen,and Franklin all in their swim attire and they all seemed to be in bright cheerful moods.

Snoopy put his truckload of beach supplies in the back trunk and got in the van with the others,and was not so pleasantly greeted by Rerun giving him a big crushing hug in his toddler seat. Charlie Brown and the others chuckled at the display as the car soon took off for the beach,once Rerun let Snoopy go the dog regained his breath and decided to crawl into Lucy's lap as a way to annoy her since he did get slight enjoyment out of it.

"So what are you going to do at the beach Chuck? Me,Marcie,and Franklin were thinking of joining the local Volleyball tournament." Peppermint Patty asked Charlie Brown from the seat in front of him to which he replied "I don't know Patty,I only decided to go so I could get out of the house and get my mind off these dreams for a while. Although I think Snoopy's gonna surf for a while."

"What dreams?" Scheroder asked overhearing the conversation before Charlie Brown got red in the face and brushed it aside nervously "Oh it's nothing,just a bad dream that's all." to which Pig-Pen remarked "A day at the beach would take anyone's mind off a bad dream."

"Yeah,you're right. I guess it will." Charlie Brown agreed with a sigh before Linus whispered into his ear "Have some fun today Charlie Brown,you can focus on the dreams afterward,have your summer vacation." to which Charlie Brown nodded his head and assured Linus "I will. I will."

* * *

After about an hour of driving and telling jokes mostly about Charlie Brown from Violet and Patty,they finally made it to the beach and it couldn't have been more perfect weather for their trip. Entirely clear skies,glowing yellow sand for Pig-Pen to without a doubt pick up in his dirt cloud,and roaring waves for Snoopy to surf. The kids almost immediately piled out of the van as soon as they found a parking space and got all their things out of the car before they ran to find whatever spot they could,after finding him his own spot Snoopy immediately dashed towards the ocean with surfboard in hand and rode some of the waves. Violet and Patty built sand castles of almost anything they could think of,Peppermint Patty,Marcie and Franklin participated in a volleyball tournament and cleaned house there,Sally tried to fawn over Linus while he relaxed on the beach but he used his blanket to shoo her away with a mini sandstorm that Pig-Pen eventually collected in his cloud,and Scheroder spent a good amount of his time at the music station so he could try and get some Beethoven out of this. Rerun however due to his age was forced to spend his trip by his parents at all times,which resulted in him not being able to play with Snoopy,the others,or in the water.

While Charlie Brown was laying down and relaxing in the shade of his own umbrella,Linus soon came by with a half metled ice cream cone in hand and asked the boy "Hey Charlie Brown,Patty was about to go surfing with Snoopy. She asked me to see if you wanted to come."

"I'm not really one for surfing Linus,I'm worried I'll wipe out on the beach and humiliate myself." Charlie Brown sat up and kindly objected to Linus's offer to which the boy frowned and retorted "Well,you'll never know unless you try. I personally don't want you to live your summer without taking risks,it's all part of growing up after all. Oh,Schroeder is waving at me for something,I better get going. Suit yourself Charlie Brown."

Linus proceeded to slowly walk away with a smile and his eyes closed,almost as if he knew that Charlie Brown would back pedal on his statement and sure enough Charlie Brown held out his hand and called out to him "Wait. I think one try wouldn't be too bad."

 _Aloha e aloha e `Ano `ai ke aloha e_

 _Aloha e aloha ae A nu ay ki aloha e_

Charlie Brown nervously paddled on his yellow surfboard while Snoopy and Peppermint Patty acted as tutors as she reassured the shaking kid "It's easy Chuck. Watch this and you'll be a surfer in no time." before he stated "I think I'm starting to regret this."

 _There's no place I'd rather be(then on my surfboard out at sea.)_

 _Lingering in the ocean blue(and if I had one wish come true.)_

 _I'd surf till the sun sets beyond the horizon(A wiki wiki mai lohi,lawe mai i ko papa he'e nalu.) Flying by on the hawaiian roller coaster ride._

After some of their demonstrations Charlie Brown tried to stand up on his surfboard,but he wasn't able to keep his balance and he fell off it right into the world. Violet and Patty on the beach chuckled at his mess up,but Snoopy didn't give up and tried to show him some easier tricks to do.

 _A wiki wiki mai lohi lohi(La we mai iko papa he na lu.) Pi'i na nalu la lahalah(O ka moana hanupupanupa.) Lalala i kala hanahan(me ke kai hoene i ka p'e one.) Helehele mai kakou e(Hawaiian roller coaster ride.)_

 _There's no place I'd rather be(than on the seashore dry,wet free.)_

 _On golden sand is where I lay(and if I only had my way.)_

 _I'd play till the sun sets beyond the horizon(lalala i kala hanahana. Me ke kai hoene i ka pu'e one.) It's time to try the hawaiian roller coaster ride._

 _Hang loose,hang ten,howzit,shake a shaka. No worry,no fear,ain't no biggie braddah. Cuttin' in,cuttin' up,cuttin' back,cuttin' out,frontside,backside,goofy footed,wipeout. Looking for the wipeout. Let's get jumpin',surfs up and pumpin' coastin' with the motion of the ocean. Whirlpools swirling,cascading,twirling(hawaiian rollercoaster ride.)_

After many wipeouts and failed attempts to surf,Charlie Brown decided to call it quits and go back to sketching Rebecca in the sand as the sun was slowly beginning to set. He seemed to be adding more and more detail to her with every drawing he did as he was clearly remembering more things about her,but his drawing would be cut short when he suddenly felt a huge bucket worth of water pour on him from top to bottom. He jumped out of shock and surprise before he sharply turned around to see the others holding a empty bucket,this was clearly a joke by them and Charlie Brown shot them an annoyed and angry face before he suddenly burst out into laughter to which the others joined. Snoopy admits his giggling held out what appeared to be his surfboard as Charlie Brown instantly knew what it meant and shrugged "Ok,I guess I can try one more time."

Soon Charlie Brown was back on the water with Snoopy learning how to surf,but this time Charlie Brown seemed to be getting the hang of it. As the waves slowly pushed and moved him against the water,he didn't lose his balance and fall into the water like before,he really seemed to be doing better as he happily exclaimed "Hey Snoopy! I'm doing it!" before the dog happily laughed and applauded. Charlie Brown was getting super confident in his newfound surfing skills and he decided to take a leap of faith and test them on a super big wave he saw in the distance. Back on the beach,Linus was staring off into the ocean when he suddenly saw Charlie Brown approaching said wave and decided to cheer him on to which the others soon noticed and joined him,even Violet,Patty and Lucy.

 _There's no place I'd rather be(then on my surfboard out at sea.)_

 _Lingering on the ocean blue(and if I could have one wish come true.)_

 _I'd surf till the sun sets beyond the horizon(a wiki wiki mai lohi lohi. Lawe mai i ko papa he'e nalu.) Flying by on the Hawaiian roller coaster ride._

Charlie Brown finally caught the wave and started to ride it just fine without any major trouble,but once the wave started to get higher and higher he started to regret his decision to ride it. He was at least able to keep his balance and not fall off,but he started to show a immense amount of fear as he rode the 50 story wave.

 _A wiki wiki mai lohi lohi la we mai iko papa he na lu. Pi'i na nalu la lahalaha(o ka moana hanupamupa.) Lalala i kala hanahan(me ke kai hoene i ka pu'e one.) Helehele mai kakou e(Hawaiian roller coaster ride.)_

However Charlie Brown's balancing act on the wave didn't last for very long as some of the water dripping on the surfboard caused him to slip and fall in the wave as it soon crashed into the beach shore with a loud boom akin to that of a thunderclap. Once the water receded back into the ocean,all that remained was a surfboard and an unconscious boy with stars floating around his head. The others who were watching him gasped in shock as they ran towards him to see if he was alright,Snoopy swam back to the shore and quickly put on a doctor's outfit as he joined the others.

"He wiped out bad back there. I hope he's alright." Lucy stated when she saw that Charlie Brown wasn't breathing as Sally nervously added "Wake up big brother,I need someone to do my homework when school starts again."

"That's your biggest concern Sally?" Marcie asked while she and Snoopy started to give Charlie Brown chest CPR as Sally merely shrugged her arms.

* * *

While this was all going on,Charlie Brown suddenly found himself floating in the middle of a dark blue void. He was still wearing his swim clothes but he was also completely dry from head to two,his eyes shot open along with heavy panicked breathing when he saw where he was.

"Where,where am I?" He asked himself before he started move through the mysterious void with no input from him at all. He started to sweat since he didn't know what was going on and he felt like something bad was going to happen,the blue color of wherever he was didn't help much either. His fear however would turn into curiosity when he suddenly stopped and saw a mysterious figure in the distance.

"Hello? Who's there?" He asked hoping for an answer but the figure gave no response. He squinted his eyes to try and get a better look at it,and was shocked to see that it resembled…...Rebecca.

"Rebecca? Is that you?" He asked once again but this time she waved her right hand to him and he waved back slowly only for her to fly back into the void.

"Rebecca wait!" He held out his hand and yelled hoping for her to come back when he suddenly felt himself being pulled upward at a incredible speed as he yelled "Wait!"

* * *

Charlie Brown shot wide awake on the beach as he threw up a large amount of water that was still stuck in his lungs,he coughed afterwards a few times and breathed heavily,unaware that all the others were staring at him with concerned faces. Once he caught his breath and took in his surroundings,he suddenly heard the voice of Linus ask "Are you alright Charlie Brown?" to which Charlie Brown asked while he rubbed his head due to a headache "What happened guys? Did I ride the wave?"

"You did,but you also slipped and conked out on the beach." Scheroder replied while he cleaned some of the sand off his shorts to which Charlie Brown groaned "I knew I would mess up and humiliate myself right on the beach."

"Well at least be glad you're not dead you blockhead. You scared us all back there." Lucy angry retorted as Violet added more smugly "You can't die Charlie Brown,you have so much more to mess up at." to which Charlie Brown moaned "Even when I almost died I can't catch a break."

Charlie Brown stood up from the sand and decided to wash some of it off in the water when he suddenly heard a very faint echo in the distance. It was very low so he could barely hear it,but he could swore that he heard the words "Charlie Brown." in a playful attention grabbing tone,and he could also swear that the voice belonged to Rebecca too.

He started to walk even deeper and further into the water in the hopes that he would be able to hear it better when Sally suddenly shouted from afar "We're leaving big brother come on!"

"Oh,okay Sally I'm coming!" Charlie Brown replied as he got out of the water and dried himself off,but not before he took another glance towards the ocean with the sun slowly casting a yellow glow on it. After drying off and putting on his regular clothes,he headed back to the car where all the others were waiting and in their normal clothes as Franklin playfully asked "Did you accidentally walk through a field of honey Charlie Brown?"

Charlie Brown rolled his eyes at Franklin's joke and put his belongings in the trunk before he got into the car. While Linus and the others glammored on about how much fun they had at the beach,Charlie Brown instead starred out the window and at the scenery as he thought about his strange encounter with Rebecca over and over again.

* * *

Once they all got home and were all dropped off to their respective houses,Snoopy was more than happy to be free of Rerun's grasp as he gave a sigh of relief and shoved all his stuff into his doghouse before he fell asleep on top of it. However Charlie Brown decided to tell Linus about his experience before he got out of the car and started "Linus? When I was knocked out,I saw her again."

Linus opened his eyes and took out his thumb from his mouth before he got a more curious look in his eyes and asked more specifically "You saw her again? Like before in the field?"

"No it was different,I was in this blue void and I saw her waving at me from afar. I tried to get closer to her but I woke up on the beach before I could even move." Charlie Brown clarified things for Linus before he added "Linus,I don't think it's a coincidence anymore. I seriously think I'm remembering something about Rebecca."

"Well,I think it would be best to just let the dreams run their course until you remember everything you can about her Charlie Brown." Linus suggested before Charlie Brown smiled "I think I will Linus,and thanks for the invite today. I think I needed a trip to the beach after all this."

"No problem Charlie Brown. I'm actually very interested in this Rebecca girl. Maybe if you remember enough things about her,maybe we can see her one day. Find out where she went after that summer." Linus replied with a smile of his own before he and his family drove off to their house,leaving Charlie Brown in the pale moon lit sidewalk in front of his house.

When Charlie Brown headed back to his room and unloaded all his beach supplies from that day,he stared out the window and into the stars as he asked himself "What happened to you Rebecca? Why haven't I seen you in years? Where are you?l

" **HAWAIIAN ROLLER COASTER RIDE" COPYRIGHT OF WALT DISNEY RECORDS**


	5. Chapter 5: A Call For Help

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown: A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 5: A Call For Help

While Charlie Brown was slowly but surely remembering more about Rebecca every night to the point of remembering things out of nowhere,Rebecca was still being held at the orphanage. Since she was never allowed to even exit the building,she ended up becoming very sheltered despite she being allowed to go out by her old parents before she mysteriously ended up in the orphanage.

It was another day of her staring out the window of her small closet like room alone,since Amy and Jasper were not present at that time. As the sun shined its light through the window and into the now dusty room,Rebecca took a deep sigh and flopped on her bed as she moaned "So this is the life huh? I don't get why she won't just let me go outside,what is she so worried about? It's not like they're aren't any other kids that need looking after. Talking to myself,that's the sign that I'm going crazy."

She sat up from her bed and glanced over to an old white baseball on the floor and said to herself "I still think Johnny should have took this when he got adopted,don't know why he gave it to me.' before she picked it up and started bouncing it against the wall for her to catch.

After a few minutes of continuously catching the baseball over and over again accompanied by the faint bit of sawdust falling from the ceiling,she nearly jumped up out of shock when she heard Mrs Hampton call her from a few rooms down the hall "Rebecca,I need to see you for a second!"

"Coming mother!" Rebecca replied loud enough for her to hear as she whispered to herself "What does she want? Is she finally letting me go?" before she quickly headed out of her room and to the office.

Mrs Hampton was in the front office on her computer doing some unknown business work of some sort,but it was shortly cut off when Rebecca quietly knocked on the door and Mrs Hampton called out "It's open!"

Rebecca slowly opened the door somewhat nervously and slid inside the office with a nervous yet excited grin to which Mrs Hampton asked confused "What's up with you?"

"Nothing." Rebecca quickly replied as she crossed her hands below as Mrs Hampton continued "Are you okay with being left by yourself for a while,like even without the traditional night time guards?"

Rebecca's ecstatic and nervous grin started to turn into a confused frown as she asked for more specific details "Alone for a while,what do you mean a while mother?" to which she replied "I think say a week or two. I got a very important business trip to take and me and the guards have to be present,it's for some type of government check up. I gotta leave later today so I was giving you a heads up."

"Oh….that's…..interesting. Yeah I can handle being by myself." Rebecca replied slowly as she walked around the office and stared out the large window by her mother's desk to which her mother got a suspicious frown and asked as she got up from the desk "What is up with you? You've been acting strange the last few days Rebecca,what is it?"

Rebecca continued to stare out the large window as she nervously stammered "Ok….mother,I was thinking that since you said you have to go somewhere,and given the fact that I was asking about an adoption the other day-"

"Rebecca,are you still going on about an adoption? I think we've gone over it already." Mrs Hampton asked calmy yet with a hint of her trying to not get angry as Rebecca turned around and continued "Yes but-"

"Okay then so we will drop it,right?"

"Wait mother,i need to be adopted. I'm not a little little kid anymore-"

"Yes you are,you just don't want to admit it." Mrs Hampton was starting to get frustrated at Rebecca's ramblings of being adopted and Rebecca was getting more and more paranoid at her mother's refusal to let her go as she started to frantically follow her around the office.

"Look mother,I know where Charlie Brown lives,can't you just let me go and find him?"

"Enough Rebecca."

"Enough of what,what are you so afraid of?!"

"Enough with the adoption Rebecca! You are not leaving this orphanage,ever!" Mrs Hampton shouted at the top of her lungs as Rebecca gasped out of shock and covered her mouth,for her mother had had enough of her continuous pestering. Mrs Hampton was breathing heavily and was just on the verge of locking Rebecca in her room,but she managed to control herself and form a loving smile on her face that would normally appear comforting,but in that scenario it was just terrifying.

"Oh Rebecca,you know I love you very much. You just don't belong outside this place yet." Mrs Hampton comfortingly stated before she tried to give Rebecca a hug,but the girl backed away from her arms in a mixture of sadness and fear as Mrs Hampton got a disapproving frown and said much more coldy "I've said this before and I'll say it again,don't ever ask to leave this orphanage,again. Why is that so hard for you to understand? Charlie Brown is gone,it's time for you to let go."

Rebecca couldn't find it in herself to muster out an response and instead hung her head down as low as it could go,and Mrs Hampton took a look at the nearby clock and remarked "Oh look at the time I have to go now. Again I'll be back in about a week. There's plenty of food you can make and all your toys to keep you company." to which Rebecca issued no response.

* * *

As Mrs Hampton quickly headed downstairs to the front door with her suitcase in hand and traveling clothes on,she opened the door and let in some of the summertime wind. Before she closed the front door and left the orphanage,she turned to Rebecca and said very sternly with a dead lifeless look in her eyes "Rebecca,do not step a single foot outside this orphanage." before she slowly closed the door shut,leaving Rebecca all by herself in the orphanage.

She stood there all by herself with her head still hung down low as she begun to silently cry to herself,Amy and Jasper soon entered the orphanage through some of the open cracks and tried to comfort Rebecca accordingly,but before they could reach her she politely asked them "Just go away." to which the bird and toad reluctantly obeyed.

* * *

Rebecca slowly walked up the long flight stairs as she passed the multiple floors and hallways which contained the empty rooms of former kids who had now been fully adopted. Once Rebecca reached the top floor where the office and her room was located,she turned her head towards the right direction of her room for a moment,but then she turned her head towards the office doors and decided to go there instead.

When she opened the office door and was greeted by the massive office with its long table stretching across the room,she slowly walked towards the large window and stared out it for what felt like hours as she soon said to herself "What I wouldn't give to turn back time. When they were alive,when he was there." before she started to tear up again.

 _There was a time when men were kind,when their voices were soft,and their words inviting._ _There was a time when love was blind,and the world was a song,and the song was exciting._

 _There was a time….then it all went wrong._

Rebecca turned around from the large office window and saw that there were a few pieces of paper sitting on the office desk. While she continued to cry and ended up wiping some of the tears off her face,she walked towards the office desk and sat down as she started to write something with one of the nearby pencils.

 _I dreamed a dream in time gone by,when hope was high,and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die,I dreamed that god would be forgiving._

 _Then I was young and unafraid,so dreams were made,and used,and wasted. There was no ransom to be paid,no song unsung,no wine untasted._ _But the tigers come at night,with their voices soft as thunder,as they tear your hope apart,as they turn your dream to shame!_

 _He spent a summer by my side,he filled my days with endless wonder. He took my childhood in his stride but he was gone when autumn came!_

 _And still I dream he'll come to me,that we will live the years together,but there are dreams that cannot be,and there are storms we cannot weather!_

 _I had a dream my life would be,so different from this life i'm living,far different now from what it seemed! Now,life,has killed the dream,I dreamed._

Rebecca's mysterioys paper seemed to be fully written and complete as she slowly got out of the office chair with the intent to send it out,but when she decided to stare out the window again,she looked at the paper and stared at it intently before she opened the window and threw it out. Letting the wind carry it to some unknown destination as Rebecca headed back to her room,and didn't come out for the rest of the day.

 **"I DREAMED A DREAM 2012 FILM VERSION" COPYRIGHT OF CAMERON MAKINTOSH LTD**


	6. Chapter 6: More Hidden Truths

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown? A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 6: More Hidden Truths

Charlie Brown awoke the next morning after another one of his dreams about Rebecca,unfortunately it didn't reveal anything new about her,in fact it was a carbon copy of his previous dream. As he rose up from his bed,he noticed that his eyes still felt incredible heavy and he yawned for at least 10 seconds,but he knew he had to get up because he heard the continuous kicking at his bedroom door,a noise like that could only mean that Snoopy was hungry and was making sure everyone in the house knew it,not to mention that when he looked at his alarm clock he saw that it was 5 minutes past 9:00.

He slowly stretched his arms out and rolled out of his bed as he moaned "This is early even for you Snoopy." before he opened his bedroom door to be surprisingly greeted by nothing. There was no anxious beagle to be found,nor a purple dog food bowl sitting at the base of his feet. "Is this some sort of late April Fools joke Snoopy?" Charlie Brown asked out loud in an annoyed tone as he was expecting to see Snoopy crawl out from behind a corner,but nothing of the sort ever happened. After a few more moments of waiting,Charlie Brown then groaned and mumbled to himself "I'll confront him about it later." before he went back in his room and shut the door,only to find out that something was wrong.

He knew it the instant he shut the door and his eyes instantly widened out of sheer surprise,the cotton/fluffy feeling of his bedroom floor had now felt like lucious and soft grass beneath his bare feet. He nervously gulped and slowly hung his head towards the floor to see that the floor had indeed been turned to soft grass. However he noticed that the grass had a more darkened color,it was still green like the last time but it was very darkened and black at the same time. He was frankly confused by this strange color and thought to himself "What's up with the grass here? It's…..dark." before he lifted his head up to see why,his ceiling and bedroom walls had now completely vanished and the ceiling now a pitch black night sky accompanied by a full moon and tiny stars,and the walls were now green hills. He took a deep breath and asked himself "What now Rebecca?" before he started to slowly walk through and explore the field.

* * *

"This place is so beautiful,I wish it was real." Charlie Brown remarked once again at the sheer beauty of the place he was in before the grass once again started to form into shapes. The grass slowly rose out of the ground and transformed into the shape and color of Charlie Brown's bedroom,and he was now standing in front of his door,it was practically unchanged from his current one aside from a few of his personal belongings being gone,but it was still his room from top to bottom. Charlie Brown was confused by his sudden return and asked "What am I doing back here?" only for him to notice that someone was sleeping in his bed. He slowly tiptoed forward to his bed so as not to wake the person up,and once Charlie Brown got at a good enough distance to see who it was,he silently gasped when he saw that the person sleeping in his bed was his younger self from the last dream. Charlie Brown instantly realized that this was another memory and asked himself "Ok what happened here." Almost immediately after he asked himself that,he and his younger self would both be startled when they heard a faint knocking on the window.

Charlie Brown's younger self slowly woke up due to the noise and rubbed his eyes before he turned his head toward the window,only for them both to be surprised when they saw a young Rebecca anxiously tapping on the window. He then got out of his bed and quietly opened the window before he frantically whispered "Rebecca,what are you doing here? It's super late."

"I need to talk to you Charlie Brown. It's very important." Rebecca replied in a somewhat nervous tone as Charlie Brown asked "Can't it wait till tomorrow?" to which she retorted "No it can't. It's super important." Charlie Brown then yawned out of slight annoyance and reluctantly obliged "Ok." before he crawled out his window and joined Rebecca behind the corner of the house. Charlie Brown's older self then followed them out of curiosity and shut the window behind them before he joined the other two as well,despite them clearly not being able to see him.

"Ok I gotta ask you some stuff first." Charlie Brown's younger self asked Rebecca more politely to which Rebecca sighed and agreed "Ok,but can you make it quick please?" as Charlie Brown's older self watched with intrigue before his younger self agreed "Ok. The last few weeks you have been shutting me out,you haven't been talking to me,and every time I try to go up to you like we usually do,you always go away like you're afraid of me? Is it me? Or is there something you're not telling me here? We're friends you know,you can talk to me."

Charlie Brown's older self was left in awe at his younger self's question as he asked himself "Wait,she shut me out?" before Rebecca conveniently replied "Actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you remember the day we first met? The day that school came out for you?" to which Charlie Brown's younger self replied somewhat nervous "Y-yeah why?"

"Well…..I told you that me and my family moved here for the summer,and that we would have to go back to Kansas when it ended. And the thing is…..I have to move back tomorrow." Rebecca said as she nervously twiddled with his fingers and faced away from her friend,and Charlie Brown's older self softly whispered to himself "Ok you had to move away." to which his younger self's eyes widened out of surprise and stammered "Wait-wha? I thought you weren't moving back until September? That's not for another two weeks."

Rebecca started to slightly tear up and her hands started to quiver as she replied in a shaky voice "School's starting back for my school on Monday. I have to go back to school,and my dad has to get back to his job. I tried to see if I could stay for a litle while longer,but I have to go tomorrow." before she turned back around and continued "The reason I haven't been talking to you is…..the last few weeks have been nothing but us packing and preperaring. I couldn't get a single bit of time off from it all,and I wanted to properly say goodbye before I leave tomorrow."

Charlie Brown's younger self started to tear up as well before he cried "But Rebecca,you've-you've been like a sister to me. I don't know what to do without you,and now you're just going away for a whole nother year?! What if you forget about me?" to which Rebecca tried to lighten up the mood "Hey I'll be back next summer,I promise. And maybe we can see if I can come visit during Christmas Break."

Charlie Brown's younger self stood in silence for a few moments before he hung his head and replied slightly more positively "Ok Rebecca,it's…...just that you've been my only friend ever since you moved here. I don't want to feel alone here,I don't anyone else right now." before Rebecca smiled and tried to comfort him with a hug "You won't feel alone here,trust me." to which Charlie Brown slowly hugged her back and smiled feeling slightly relived "I'll see you off tomorrow."

Charlie Brown's older self watched the whole conversation from behind them and was absolutely bewildered yet odly excited to learn more as he stated "It's starting to make more sense now. She moved here when I was little and we became friends since we were so much alike,but then she moved away when school started back." before he got slightly more confused and continued "But then…...how did I forget her?"

* * *

Charlie Brown awoke back in his bed the next morning and it thankfully wasn't the result of a peaceful dream/memory turned into a nightmare at the very end,he slowly rose up from his bed like a zombie and glanced at his clock on his bedside table to see that it was 10:00 in the morning.

"Good grief I really slept in this morning." Charlie Brown remarked out of surprise as he yawned loudly and got out of his bed before he chuckled "I think Linus will want to here this."

* * *

Meanwhile Lucy was happily enjoying her summer in her backyard,and she was defiantly getting into the summertime spirit. She went through the effort to set up a small chair for her to lay in the sun and she made sure she put it in the best possible spot for some sun bathing. She also put on her swimsuit and a pair of black sunglasses so she could fully relax and get immersed. It was also a fairly nice day too,despite a few clouds and some very high temperatures,it was ultimately good enough for her in the end.

"This is the life that a queen deserves." Lucy happily stated as the sun continued to hammer its might down on her before she called out when she started to sweat "Linus! Can you get me a glass of water!" only to be met with no response. She called out for her brother once again and was still met with no response,she then took off her glasses and called out slightly more crabby as she sat up "Linus! I need some water!"

When Linus didn't respond once again,she groaned out loud and stomped into her house as she moaned "He's probably at that stupid wall with Charlie Brown when he needs to be here taking care of his dear sister." After she got herself a glass of water from the fridge,she started to make her way back towards the backyard but she stopped when she saw that the mirror was in her peripheral vision. She then stared at her reflection for a few moments as she stated "Oh what does it take to get some admiration around here? I do enough around here anyway,keeping him away from that blanket,and protecting Rerun from beagels,it makes me wonder what the life of a queen is like. Part of me wants a queen around here,but who could be the perfect queen?" before she started to scamper around the house.

 **Lucy:** _My brothers a wimp,he is absolutely useless. His friends and cronies are blockheads and halfwits too. Oh god how I need someone here,willing to get things done here,someone who shares my point of view. But who?!_

When she stood in front of the mirror once again,something strange started to happen. Her reflection started to become sentient and give her some well needed advice.

 _It's you,no one but you. No one's as smart and hard of heart and looks the part like you. Who'd pull off a coup d'etat like you while lookin gorgeous just like you? Well here's a clue,no one but you. (And you. And you.)_

Lucy then started to smile widely and have fantasies of her being a queen and the ruler of all things as she pranced around the house and backyard.

 _Well don't look so shocked no need to concoct excuses. A face this pretty why power's you're rightful due.(It's true. You know it too.) And frankly upon reflection,given such sheer perfection someone should take the cue,guess who,guess who._

 _It's me,(you you you),no one but me,(you you you you.) Nobody wheels in double deals in killer heels like me. There's nobody who could rule like you while making her subjects droll like you while tough to the core like you let's face it who's more like you then you?_

 _(No one but you!) Who has the brains to break her chains and seize the reins? (Yeah you!) It's been quite the social climb for you and honey at last it's time for you so answer the call for you and go take it all for you. Who else is going to?_

 _(Yes who?" No one but you! (You you you you you you!)_

Once Lucy's little fantasy was over and done with,her face would suddenly feel less warm and shady for some reason. She slwoly opened her eyes to see that the sun had been blocked out by some mysterious object floating by in the wind,from her distance it was very thin and paper like. Lucy squinted her eyes so she could get a better look at it as she asked "What on earth is that?" before the wind started to die down. This allowed the mysterious object to conveniently fall into the backyard and into her hands.

"What is this?" Lucy asked herself out of genuine curiosity and intrigue as she begun to read the mysterious piece of paper.

" **NO ONE BUT YOU" COPYRIGHT OF HOLLYWOOD RECORDS.**


	7. Chapter 7: I Remember It All

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown? A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 7: I Remember It All

Like Lucy was suspecting,Linus and Charlie Brown were indeed at the brick wall that they typically went too and talked about their problems and other stuff. It seemed that Charlie Brown was telling Linus about his latest dream about Rebecca,and the blanket carrying boy looked very intrigued by Charlie Brown's very detailed description of his dream. Marcie,Peppermint Patty,Snoopy and Schroeder were also present and they were listening in on Linus and Charlie Brown's conversation.

"So you're saying that you two knew each other when you were little,and then she had to move away when school came back?" Linus asked Charlie Brown just to be sure he heard right as they both leaned on the brick wall to which Charlie Brown replied surprisingly enthusiastic "Yeah,it's all coming together now. I knew and became friends with her when she moved here because she was bullied. But the real question now is how did I forget her?"

"You know Chuck,I never thought you would be the secret keeping type." Patty remarked slightly disappointed at Charlie Brown as Marcie stood up for and defended the boy "I think he would have told us before if he rememberd her sir." to which Charlie Brown replied "I think the reason I've never told anyone was because I knew her before I knew you guys. I don't think I had Snoopy yet,and I don't think Sally was even born yet too."

"I would remember her if I saw her." Scheroder joined in the conversation as he tapped his fingers on the wall to the melody of Symphony No 5 to which Charlie Brown replied "Well I'm not sure if I remember everything about her at the moment,but I'm gonna figure it out soon. It's driving me nuts,yet I'm actually excited to learn more."

Linus lifted his head up from the wall and remarked with a smile "Well,something tells me you'll remember it all in a few more nights,I'm very interested in this girl myself." to which Patty suggested "The next time you get another one of those dreams,you should come and talk to me Chuck."

They all stood at the brick wall and talked for about another minute until they heard the faint yelling of Lucy coming closer and closer as they could make out the words "Charlie Brown!" being yelled over and over again. This caused them to perk up and turn their heads to see a panicked Lucy running up the street with a small piece of paper in her hand as Linus jokingly yet simultaneously seriously asked Charlie Brown "Is that a letter? Did you finally get a letter since the student exchange program Charlie Brown?"

Charlie Brown however stayed silent at Linus's joke and merely waited patiently to see what Lucy wanted as Patty remarked when she noticed how loud Lucy was "Man I'm surprised all the windows in the neighborhood aren't shattered." to which Snoopy chuckled at the remark.

Once Lucy made it to the brick wall,they could all see that she was very tired and sweating bullets,as well as her clothes looking very half hazardly put on,almost as if she was in a very big hurry as Charlie Brown greeted her surprised "Hey Lucy,what's up with you today?" to which she instantly shushed him "We can talk later,you need to read this!"

Lucy then shoved the now slightly crumpled letter into Charlie Brown's hands as he glanced over at Patty,Marcie,Schroeder,and Snoopy before Patty encouraged him to read it "What are you waiting for Chuck? Read it." to which he nervously gulped and read the letter. As Lucy and the others watched Charlie Brown read his mysterious letter,they noticed that his arms and legs were starting to tremble,and that his eyes were widened as far as they could possibly go akin to a solider having war flashbacks,and they could even see that he was breathing heavily as Marcie asked in a concerned voice "Are you alright Charles?" to which he dropped the letter and fainted on the ground with a loud thud. Lucy and the others panicked as they hurried over to the fallen boy to help and wake him up,but not before Linus gave a very quick glance at the paper that was now lying on the ground next to Charlie Brown,with Linus only being able to see the word "Rebecca".

* * *

Charlie Brown woke up about an hour later with a bit of a headache and a dizzy feeling as well. As he slowly opened his eyes and regained consciousness,he started to slowly realize that he was now sitting in his thinking chair due to the shape and feeling he was so well used to,and he also noticed that he was feeling abnormally warm until he realized it was because he was sitting by a lit fireplace in his living room.

Charlie Brown tried to get out of the chair however he would be halted and startled when he heard the ecstatic voice of Sally call out from behind a corner "Hey he's awake!" which caused her and some of his friends to join him in the living room. This included Lucy,Linus,Peppermint Patty,Marcie,Schroeder,Snoopy,and Woodstock as Patty laughed "You had us worried there Chuck,we were thinking you weren't gonna wake up this time." before she gave him a noogie. Once Patty's violent assault on Charlie Brown's head was done and over with,Charlie Brown got up from his chair and asked the group "Hey guys,what are y'all doing here?" to which Lucy replied "After you read the letter you got,you had a nervous breakdown and fainted for an hour. We brought you back to your house but…...what was that all about?" before she handed Charlie Brown the letter from her pocket.

"What did the letter say Charles?" Marcie politely yet cautiously asked Charlie Brown with a smile before he merely replied "I remember it all now. Everything about her." This caused Linus and the other's jaws to drop and they gasped out of shock before Linus asked bewildered as his face started to develop a smile "Wait,you remember her now?! The letter must have triggered the last bit of memories,this is great Charlie Brown!"

However Linus's ecstatic and energetic smile would slowly fade away into a confused frown when he noticed that Charlie Brown didn't look especially happy or even that excited despite him supposedly remembering everything about Rebecca,and he quietly tried to dismiss himself from the conversation before Charlie Brown suddenly started to read the letter as he sat back down in his thinking chair,

"Dear Charlie Brown,

I don't know if you remember me after all these years,but I still remember you very well. It has indeed been a long time since we last spoke to each other on that night before I moved away,but I'm writing this to you now as a way to tell you that I am still here. I am now in Mrs Hampton's Home For Abandoned Children and have been for many years,but I am very lonely here,would you please come visit me? There's something I need to talk to you about.

Your Friend,Rebecca Hornwell."

* * *

Charlie Brown and the others sat in complete silence and were left in complete awe and surprise before Sally broke the silence and asked "You knew another kid big brother?" and Schroeder added "What did this Rebecca mean by she's still here?" to which Patty added even further "Were you and her a couple Chuck? You're not holding out on us are you?"

Charlie Brown's friends aside from Linus continued to hammer in these questions down on him and he was starting to feel incredibly pressured and uncomfortable due to them as he hung his head as low as it could go,even Linus admits all of this could tell that the boy was starting to have another nervous breakdown as he thought to himself "He was so excited this morning to possibly learn more,but now he looks so scared. Did something bad happen to Rebecca?"

Once Sally and the others realized that Charlie Brown wasn't answering their questions and that he still sat in complete silence,they slowly but surely stopped pestering him for a few moments before Linus took a deep breath and comfortingly asked the boy "I don't know what you remembered back there Charlie Brown,and I know it must be hard to dwell on it….but would you mind telling us what you remember? Please?" Snoopy then got up in the chair and laid in his owner's lap with a loving smile that only a dog could give,and this finally prompted Charlie Brown to lift his head up before he took a deep breath and proceeded to tell them everything he remembered as they sat around him and by the fire.

"When I was little,like really little,I knew this girl who moved here for the summer named Rebecca Hornwell. This was before I knew any of you,before I adopted Snoopy and before Sally was even born by the way. Like I said before,she and her family moved here temporarily for the summer,and I was on my way home from school when I suddenly saw this new girl I hadn't seen before on the sidewalk that had been picked on by some bullies. I felt like had to do at least something for her after she went through all that,so I introduced myself to her and helped her up,she seemed pretty cautious around me at first since I lived here,but she soon started to slowly warm up to me. I tried to cheer her up by playing with her around the neighborhood that day,and I guess something must have clicked then and there because soon after,we played with each other everyday,we talked to each other everyday...and it was pretty fun looking back at it."

"Sounds like she didn't deserve to be picked on because she was new around here." Marcie remarked as she cleaned her glasses to which Charlie Brown chuckled and retorted "Oh she didn't deserve it at all if you ask me,I mean she was smart and funny,brave…..and even wishy washy like me at times."

"It sounds like you were really good freinds back then,ya'll must have meant a lot to each other." Scheroder chuckled and assumed with a smile to which Charlie Brown sighed "Together we were like a brother and sister. Rebecca for a while,she was my world,and I was hers." before he started to stare into the fire and reminisce.

 _When somebody loved me,everything was beautiful,every hour we spent together,lives within my heart. And when she was sad,I was there to dry her tears,and when she was happy so was I. When she loved me._

 _Through the summer on and on,we had each other that was all,just she and I together like it was meant to be. And when she was lonely,I was there to comfort her,and I knew that she loved me._

 _So the months went by,I stayed the same,but she began to drift away,I was left alone. Still I waited for the day,when she'd say I will always be her friend._

He then started to remember the night she told him about the move,and how sudden it was that she was talking to him again after all those weeks.

 _Lonely and forgotten,never thought she'd look my way,and she smiled at me,and talked to me,just like we used to do. Like she loved me,when she loved me._

Charlie Brown then remembered the dreaded moving day,he had woken up early like he said he would so he could see Rebecca off. They were both too upset though to even talk to each other,and they instead stared at each other until it was time for Rebecca to leave.

 _When somebody loved me,everything was beautiful,every hour we spent together,lives within my heart. When she loved me._

When it was finally time for Rebecca and her family to leave,the two kids still couldn't say a single world to each other,but Rebecca managed to find it in herself to give Charlie Brown's younger self one last hug that he also joined in. As Rebecca's car started to back out of the driveway and head back to their old home,Rebecca turned to the back window and bid Charlie Brown a final goodbye with a wave of her hand,that the boy returned the favor.

* * *

Sometime later after they left,Rebecca and her family were driving down the country road atop a hill by a nearby forest,and they were getting close to the city border as well. Rebecca was still too upset about leaving to even say anything during that morning,and she didn't even put on her seatbelt despite her being very well taught in car safety. All Rebecca could do was stare out her window as her parents talking merely turned into muffled noises in her head,and the familiar landscapes that greeted her when she first moved there would soon be distant memories.

As Rebecca continued to stare out her window,she soon noticed very small droplets of rain running down the window at a surprisingly fast rate,as well as the faint rumbling of thunder in the distance. Rebecca was pretty phobic of thunder and lighting,so she was now starting to hyperventilate and she tightly held onto her seat as the rain,thunder,and lighting started to greatly intensify. As they continued to make their way through the now pouring rain,the road must have been so slippery and full of flood water that they were now starting to lose control of the car as it slowly swerved left and right. The writing must have been on the wall because only a few more moments later,Rebecca suddenly and violently found herself and her car hauled right off the cliff and into the woods down below. She was far too shocked and paralyzed by fear to scream or say anything as they violently crashed through countless trees and bushes for a few moments until they violently stopped in their tracks when they hit a much stronger and denser tree.

Rebecca as well as her parents were beaten up pretty badly due to the crash,and it didn't help that the car was also flipped upside down as well,and to make things even worse,Rebecca's parents were now knocked out due to the crash and Rebecca was the only one still conscious. Rebecca tried to wake up her parents by tapping their shoulders,but they didn't budge or move an inch,in fact they felt abnormally cold. Rebecca was starting to feel more and more scared by the minute,and that fear and paranoia increased ten fold when she suddenly caught the scent of smoke and gas,the car was on fire and there was a gas leak.

While Rebecca wasn't the smartest kid in the world,she instantly knew that there was trouble as her stomach churned and she started to sweat bullets. Pretty soom the scent of the smoke and gas started to greatly intensify,and the car was now feeling warmer and warmer by the minute as Rebecca panicked and tried to kick open her door,but it wouldn't budge. As she continued to kick the door violently and scream at the top of her lungs,there was a small part in the back of her mind that thought that this was the end for her,and for a very brief moment she considered stopping and accepting her fate,however she pressed on and continued to kick the door for about 5 more seconds before it swung right open.

As soon as she realized that the door was now open and that she had a clear way out,she quietly laughed and smiled out of relief as she crawled her way through the car and soon enough,she was outside and free of the wreckage. The feeling of soft and wet grass under her hands and body was something she would never find relieving and comforting,but this was a instance where it oddly was. However her rejoicing and relief about escaping the wreckage would have to wait for another time,because she gasped out of nervousness when she realized that her parents were still in the car and she tried to get them out. However as she got closer and closer to the car,her eyes widened when she saw a small spark light up along the fire and gas puddle,and immediately after it was followed by a loud and deafening boom accompanied by a massive explosion.

The sheer force and power of the explosion was enough to send Rebecca flying at least 3 feet,and when she regained her posture and sat up from the ground,she would be mortified and heartbroken when she saw that her car and some of the surrounding trees were entirely set ablaze from top to bottom. Rebecca continued to stare at the now raging bonfire for a few more moments in utter shock before her eyes started to tear up,and she then slammed her fists on the ground as she started to sob intensely and loudly for at least a minute. After about a full minute of her sobbing,she lifted her head up from the ground and realized that it was still pouring rain,she slowly stood back up and proceeded to run away from the wreckage so she could find some shelter,all the while with tears still hanging in her eyes. As she continued to run through the woods,the rain started to pour harder and harder,and it resulted in she gettin caught in a sudden mudslide as she knocked herself into plenty of sharp branches and other objects.

When she finally made her way down the mudslide,she was now covered in mud,cuts and bruises from head to toe,yet she continued on anyway. She had no idea where she was going,she was too full of despair to even think anymore,and who could really blame her? She had just moved away from her only friend in her life,and she had also witnessed her parents dying right in front of her. After a few more minutes of constant running,she then exited a small patch of woods to find that she was now in the middle of a dirt road,she looked on ahead to see a few bright lights in the distance and she instantly started running towards them in the hopes of putting an end to this nightmare. As she started to get closer and closer to the lights,she noticed that she was becoming increasingly more tired and out of breath as well as her vision getting slightly more blurry,however she continued to press on. Soon the feeling of soft dirt and soil turned to the feeling of hard and cold concrete as she now found herself in front of a tall mansion like building that had over a dozen windows,and a clock tower at the top that slowly ticked it's long and short hand. Rebecca ignored the slightly foreboding vibe of the place and continued to press on towards the front door,but her body was now feeling like it was about to wear out at any second,and her vision was even more blurry now,when she finally made it to the front door she was about to ring the doorbell in the hopes that someone would answer and take her in,but her body and mind finally gave out as she passed out and fainted straight onto the door with a loud thud.

Soon after that,the door to the mansion slowly creaked open to reveal a tall and thin woman with long black hair,lips red as a rose,and a black and red dress. She looked around outside in the hopes to see who could have knocked on her door,but there was no one to be found,except for a small child that was bruised,filthy,and out of breath lying helpless at her doorstep. The woman gasped out of shock as soon as she saw the girl and immediately brought her inside for her to clean up and look after,Mrs Hampton had found her first orphan to take care of.

* * *

Later on that day,numerous news outlets and reporters were soon covering the crash and doing everything they could to find the whereabouts of the missing Rebecca,but to no avail. The parents were pronounced and confirmed dead at the sight of the wrecked car,and Rebecca was unofficially confirmed dead when the police couldn't find a single trace of her after searching the woods and it was belived that she died in the explosion. It was already a tragedy in of itself for Rebecca and her loved ones,but when word of it reached Birchwood and when Charlie Brown unfortunately found out about it from his parents,he was absolutely heartbroken. He didn't even say a word to his parents after they told him in the best way that they could,and he instead slowly walked to his room so he could be alone and cry,and he didn't come out at all for the rest of the day and night as he burried his face in his pillow and sobbed endlessly all day. His childhood friend was now gone,and to make things worse,she was never coming back.

Later on that night,Charlie Brown was sitting on the edge of his window sill and he was somberly staring out the window and into the night sky as he started to reminisce about Rebecca,and he was trying to come to terms with the fact that she was gone,only for him to fail. Meanwhile at the same time,Rebecca had been completely cleaned up and given her own room at the top of the orphanage,courtesy of Mrs Hampton,she was still incredibly upset and heartbroken at her parents being dead and Charlie Brown being gone from her life,but she had very slightly managed to cope with it as she too stared out her bedroom window.

"So I guess we won't be seeing each other anymore Rebecca." Charlie Brown somberly whimpered before he blew his nose and continued with tears still in his eyes "I don't know if you can hear me wherever you are,but…..please don't be sad for me. You and your parents are….are in a better place now,but….I just want you to know that…...I'll miss you,and that you'll always be my friend."

Charlie Brown then wiped the tears off his eyes and opened his window so he could let in some of the night time breeze as his eyes started to well up again before he whimpered "Rebecca,if this is the last time I ever talk to you…..there's something you need to know."

 **Charlie Brown:** _If I never knew you,if I never felt this love,I would have no inkling of,how precious life can be. If I never met you,I would never have a clue,how at last I'd find in you,the missing part of me._

 _In this world so full of fear,full of rage and lies,I can see the truth so clear,in your eyes,so dry your eyes. And I'm so grateful to you,I'd have lived my whole life through. Lost forever,if I never knew you._

 **Rebecca:** _I thought that we'd be so beautiful,somehow we'd make the whole world bright. I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong,all they'd leave us were these whispers in the night. But still my heart is saying we were right._

 **Rebecca And Charlie Brown:** _For if I never (there's no moment) knew you,if (I regret) I never knew this love (since the moment) I would have (that we met,if our time has gone) no inkling of how precious life can be (too fast I've lived at last.)_

 **Charlie Brown:** _And I'm so grateful to you,I'd have lived my whole life through. Empty as the sky._

 **Rebecca:** _Never knowing why._

 **Rebecca And Charlie Brown:** _Lost forever,if I never knew you._

" **WHEN SHE LOVED ME" AND "IF I NEVER KNEW YOU LEGACY COLLECTION VERSION" COPYRIGHT OF WALT DISNEY RECORDS.**


	8. Chapter 8: A New Journey Begins

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown? A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 8: A New Journey Begins

Charlie Brown's story about Rebecca had seemed to finally come to a depressing close,and the entire gang was now sitting in complete and utter silence due to shock,but who could really blame them? Charlie Brown had just told them about how a childhood friend of his had supposedly died in a car crash when she moved away,only for her to still be alive and in an orphanage. Snoopy and some of the others were slowly wiping tears away from their eyes while the rest's mouths only hung open in awe.

Charlie Brown however merely stared off into the red and oraange fire for a few more moments before he sadly stated "And after that night,I guess I tried to forget her for all those years,and it must have worked up until recently. But no,she's still alive and alone up in that orphanage. What kind of friend am I?"

"Hey it's not your fault Charlie Brown? I'd try to forget if someone very close to me died. It was your way of coping." Linus tried to cheer Charlie Brown up and make it seem like it wasn't his fault as Marcie added "Didn't Snoopy try to forget Lila after she had to return him? It's not something to be ashamed of Charles,plus you said that the police couldn't find any traces of her."

"Yes it is guys." Charlie Brown snapped back at them slightly more frustrated before he calmed down and continued with a more shaky voice "I deliberately forgot about her for all those years while she was trapped there without a home and a family. If I only knew she was still alive I could have gone and helped her,even if the police said they couldn't find her."

"Still,poor Rebecca. What a tragedy." Scheroder sadly commented on the story as he warmed himself up by the fire before Patty sporadically suggested as she stood up from the chair she was slouched in "Well let's go get her then Chuck."

Charlie Brown felt his heart skip a beat at the mere suggestion of this idea as he sat in complete silence for a few moments before he suddenly agreed with Patty's idea "You're right Patty,I can't just sit here and leave her there any longer. If we can find her,we can give her a real home,and a real family again,she needs one. I'm gonna go tomorrow morning." to which Lucy gasped and asked bewildered as her eyes widened "Wait a second,you two are just gonna leave and go out into the blue? We don't even know where this orphanage is!"

"Yeah we may not know now Lucy,but if we can find the crash site where Rebecca disappeared,we could start from there." Linus retorted and speculated in support of Patty's idea to which Marcie added "Not to mention if we bring ourselves a map,it could make the whole trip easier Lucy."

"With the way you say that,it sounds like y'all are going with him." Lucy assumed in a more flabbergasted tone of voice in the hopes of getting some clarification before Sally defended/mocked her brother "There's no way my brother can survive out there on his own,he needs someone to do everything for him." to which Charlie Brown sarcastically thanked his sister "Gee,thanks Sally."

"I'm gonna go with you guys too,I don't wanna sit here and be cooked up at home all summer,I wanna get out some more,plus this Rebecca girl sounds interesting to say the least. As long as I can bring my piano of course." Scheroder decided to join Charlie Brown,Marcie,Patty,Sally,and Linus on their journey out of intriuge as the latter boy counted them each "1,2,3,4,5 and 6. So counting me,that's 6 of us going,anyone else wanna go?" to which Snoopy instantly jumped off of Charlie Brown's lap and saluted like a soldier in the army would.

"Okay never mind that's 7 of us going to look for Rebecca." Linus discarded his previous statement before he as well as the others turned to an increasingly more confused Lucy and asked "Well Lucy,are you going or not?"

Lucy seemed like she was going back and forth between wanting to go and not wanting to go at the same time as the look on her face clearly showed it,but it was only a matter of time until she uncontrollably blurted out "Okay I'll go!" before she gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

"Alright,that's 8 of us going in total." Linus ecstatically concluded as the group aside from him,Lucy,and Charlie Brown started to silently cheer at the announcement,all the while Lucy tried to take back her decision to go as she nervously babbled over and over again "No wait,I take it back. Linus!" only for her brother to blatantly ignore her over the cheering.

Once the group managed to calm themselves down,Charlie Brown got out of the chair and stood in front of the slowly dying out fire before he cleared his throat and told the impending group of travelers "Ok everybody,if we're all gonna go look for Rebecca tomorrow,I suggest that we all get to bed early and wake up early as well. We can take the bus to the last known crash sight,and work things out from there. You guys got it?"

"Right." The entire group aside from Lucy replied in unison as she quietly grumbled "Me and my big mouth." before Charlie Brown continued more heartfelt and genuine "Just think about it guys,if we can find her and find her a home here,we could have ourselves a new friend on our hands. I mean from what I remember of her,she's smart,strong,funny,and I think she was very fond of dogs too now that I think about it. So…..just as a last minute roll call,raise your hand if you're going."

Linus and the others quickly raised their hands accordingly out of excitement and determination,with Lucy realizing that she had a choice in the matter overthinking it for a few moments before she suddenly caved in to her own surpise and smiled as she raised her hand "Oh why not? I think a group of travelers like us could use a stern leader now that I think about it."

Charlie Brown and Linus were slightly intimidated at the idea of Lucy being the leader of the group,but in the back of their mind they knew that the more people they had the better as Charlie Brown sighed and admitted "The more people we have,the better. Thanks for coming along everyone,it really means a lot to me."

"Hey it's no problem Chuck. If she's a friend of yours,then she's likely gonna be a friend of ours." Patty confidently stated as she got up from her chair and patted him on the back. However the boy's attention would suddenly be diverted to the nearby clock when he saw that it was 6:00 in the afternoon and that the sun was slowly going down as he stated in a slight panic "Its 6:00,well I guess we all better get ready then." to which the gang quickly piled out of the house and bid their farewells for the day so they could get ready for their big adventure to come.

Once they were all gone,the only ones left in the house were Charlie Brown,Snoopy,and Sally as the three of them stared out the window and into the bright yellow sky that was filled with yellow and orange clouds for a little while before Sally suddenly turned to her brother and asked "You know big brother,if we find this friend of yours,why don't we adopt her?"

Charlie Brown's eyes widened and his stomach churned at the mere mention of such an idea as he slowly turned to his sister and nervously declined "I don't think she'd like to be our sister Sally. It just doesn't sound right if you ask me."

"Do you think,or you know?" Sally asked slightly more playful and odly serious as Charlie Brown somberly sighed and stated "Look Sally,this is all so sudden for me and….I just don't know how to take it all in right now. I mean I'm still shocked that I remember all this to begin with,and what if she's angry at me for taking so long to find her? It's starting to get me and...I'm worried that she may be angry with me."

Sally's playful smile slowly started to fade into a more comforting and sympathetic one as she surprisingly gave her brother a hug and tried to comfort him despite her rarely doing it "Hey it's ok big brother. Tomorrow we're gonna get up and find that friend of yours,and to be perfectly honest,I think she'll be really happy to see you." to which Snoopy looked up at his owner and nodded his head.

* * *

"Thanks you two." Charlie Brown smiled and stated before Sally skipped to her room to get ready,and Snoopy did the same at his doghouse as Charlie Brown sighed and slowly walked outside to watch the shockingly beautiful sunset.

"Well Rebecca,it took a long time,but I'm finally on my way. Just hold on a little while longer."

 **Charlie Brown:** _Heart don't fail me now,courage don't desert me,don't turn back now that we're here. People always say,life is full of choices no one ever mentions fear,or how the world can seem so vast,on a journey to the past._

Charlie Brown started to walk through the slowly darkening neighborhood as he saw visions of his younger self and Rebecca playing through the neighborhood.

 _Somewhere down this road,I know someone's waiting,days of dreams just can't be wrong. Arms will open wide,she'll be safe and wanted finally home where she belongs. Well starting now I'm learning fast,on this journey to the past._

 _Home,love,family,there was once a time where she had one too. Home,love,family,I will never be complete until I find you._

 _One step at a time,one hope then another,who knows where this road may go? Back to who I was,on to make her future,things my heart still needs to know. Yes,let this be a sign! Let this road be mine! Let it lead me to my past,and bring her home,at last!_

" **JOURNEY TO THE PAST" COPYRIGHT OF ATLANTIC RECORDS**


	9. Chapter 9: Departure

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown? A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 9: Departure

After the long desired and built up revelation that the mysterious girl from Charlie Brown's recurring dreams was in fact a long lost childhood friends of his,he as well as some of his friends were now fully determined to get her out of the orphanage she was locked up in and bring her to a new home,where exactly that new home was however,they unfortunately didn't know. The rest of the evening that eventually bled into the surprisingly cool night was a very busy and exhausting one to put it lightly as the members of the gang that were going quickly packed their clothes,personal belongings,food,and more stuff like that for their impending trip.

As Charlie Brown was in his bed room and quickly packing his things into a black worn out suitcase like all the other kids were,his attention was suddenly diverted from his suitcase and to one of the bedside windows when he noticed that Snoopy was completely absent from his doghouse,not even Woodstock was sleeping in his small nest that was atop the small tree in the backyard. He wasn't expecting Woodstock to come along with him and the others,in fact he was mostly expecting Snoopy to just entrust him to look after his doghouse while they were gone,but in the back of his mind he knew that the bird would either find a way to sneak onto the bus with them,or just be upfront about the whole thing and come along out in the open.

Charlie Brown found this a little odd and worrying since he suggested that Snoopy as well as the others get their things ready as quickly as possible since they'd have to get up super early,and yet he and Woodstock were still doing the complete opposite and possibly out at a bar getting drunk on root beer like they did in France. However Charlie Brown knew his dog very well and cautiously brushed the nervous feeling off as he thought to himself "I just hope you're back before too long." before he put on his pajamas and headed off to bed.

* * *

Meanwhile,Peppermint Patty and Marcie were packing their things at the former's house across town,for Marcie had already gotten her things ready while Patty was just finishing up.

"This reminds me a lot of when we had to go after Chuck after he ran away last year. Deja vu huh Marcie?" Patty energetically remarked as she tried to hold her suitcase shut long enough for her to lock it as Marcie replied "Except this time Charles wasn't torn to shreds because he lost his team a baseball game."

"I still think they went too far back there,especially since they're all no better than him in terms of their baseball skills. And yet they put all the blame on him!" Patty added in a somewhat more frustrated voice as she finally managed to lock her suitcase up to which Marcie sighed "Well at least that's all in the past now since Charles has long forgiven them,not to mention this allowed him to reunite with that Heather freind of his."

"Yeah you're probably right." Patty surprisingly admitted before she picked up her suitcase and continued more enthusiastically "Come on let's get ourselves some shut eye,we got us a big day tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning came as fast as it could possibly come for the gang as they were sharply awoken from their very short lived sleep,practically all of them were on the verge of just going back to sleep but they all knew they had to get up and head on out to the crash site. The exact time that was almost frozen on all of their alarm clocks was 6:20 AM,they had never been up this early before even on school days as they all groaned at the sight and idea before they got on up and did their morning routines.

After dealing with Sally's typical whining about how they had to get up so early and how it felt like they were back at school,both her and Charlie Brown headed outside to the front yard with their suitcases in hand to be greeted by Patty,Marcie,Lucy,Linus,and Schroeder all standing at the edge of the road who looked like they were still half asleep as their heads were hung really low. Given how early it was,the sky was purely bright yellow as the sun was slowly rising over the nearby trees and houses as there was a surprisingly cool breeze to greet anyone who would be up before the scorching summer heat.

"Good morning fellow traveler." Linus slowly greeted Charlie Brown with a quiet yet long yawn to which Charlie Brown meekly added with a yawn of his "Good morning to you too. I don't think I've ever been up this early before."

"This better be the last time we have to do this Charlie Brown!" Lucy managed to muster out a frustrated yet tired threat towards Charlie Brown as he gave off a nervous smile and stammered "Well I sure hope so too Lucy." before Marcie tried to lighten up the mood "Well at least we have a small glimpse of adulthood now."

"Yeah well I'm sure glad we're 10 years off of adulthood." Scheroder jokingly retorted as he tried to hold both his suitcase and his toy piano at the same time to which Lucy asked "Do you really need to take that piano of yours with you?"

"Do I even need to answer that Lucy?" Scheroder replied somewhat dumbfounded at such a question before Linus interrupted their dispute and asked Charlie Brown "Is that everyone we need Charlie Brown?" to which he shook his head and replied "Not everyone,I still need to go get Snoopy,be right back."

* * *

As Charlie Brown left the front yard and proceeded to head to the backyard to retrieve Snoopy and potentially Woodstock,Sally got a lovestruck smile on her face when she saw that Linus was standing all by himself at a telephone pole and slowly walked up to him with the intent to try and get on his good side.

"Oh hi Sally. I'm somewhat glad that you're coming on this trip with the rest of us." Linus happily greeted the blonde girl with a smile to which bright red hearts started to float above her head as she seductively replied "Can you believe this? My sweet baboo and I together on this trip,it's like it was meant to be."

Linus's face turned bright red at the remark for all the wrong reasons as he gagged in disgust and hung his blanket over his head,just barely covering the bright shades of red on his face as Sally gleefully asked "Isn't he the cutest thing?" to which Lucy said to herself "I'd hate to become their kid's aunt."

* * *

When Charlie Brown opened the gate that led to the backyard,he was about to call out to his dog and wake him up from his sleep as he started "Snoopy. Come on-" but stopped out of confusion when he saw that Snoopy as well as Woodstock were once again completely absent. Charlie Brown's slight sense of skepticism from the night before had now turned into a full on panic attack as he jogged back to the front yard and frantically asked the group "Have any of you seen Snoopy or Woodstock?"

"How in the world should I know? I don't keep track of that dumb dog of yours." Lucy shrugged her arms and replied in her typical crabby voice as Linus rolled his eyes and asked "What's this about Snoopy and Woodstock?" to which Charlie Brown nervously clarified "Ever since you all left to pack last night,I haven't seen Snoopy at all since then,not even this morning."

"Big whup. Why don't we just leave already and not have to deal with him?" Lucy asked with a sense of uncaring and disinterest in the situation to which Charlie Brown retorted "That's not the point Lucy! What if he's been dog napped,what if he's laying down drunk on root beer in a ditch,or-"

Charlie Brown's nervous panicking would however be loudly interupted when he as well as the others were not so pleasantly blasted by the sound of a car horn as they all flipped up in the air due to the shock and screamed. Once they all landed on the ground with a loud thud,they turned their heads around to see a blue Ford Expedition with both the windows rolled up as Patty angrily asked the unseen driver "What's the big idea?!" to which the passenger seat window slowly rolled down to reveal…...Snoopy at the driver's seat and Woodstock standing on the wheel.

"Snoopy?!" The group of kids exclaimed in unison and confusion at the sight as Lucy's sense of surprise angrily faded away into anger as she yelled "You almost scared us half to death with that horn of yours!" to which Snoopy and Woodstock bursted out laughing uncontrollably at their little prank. It was now that the confused and surprised looks of the Peanuts gang started to fade away into angry glares as Snoopy and Woodstock slowly stopped laughing and gave off nervous smiles as their faces turned red with guilt.

"Well at least Snoopy's still alive." Charlie Brown rolled his eyes out of a mixture of relief and disappointment before he asked about the sudden appearance of a car "So where'd you get the car? Did…..did you rent it?" to which Snoopy gave a thumbs up,indicating that he did indeed rent the car.

"How….how did…...Snoopy we were gonna take the bus to the crash site and go on from there. What's this all about?" Charlie Brown asked as he was getting more and more confused and bewildered by the second to which Marcie remarked "I suppose air conditioning and actually comfortable seats could be preferable here." before Lucy added "As well as no sloppy fat kids that will try to hold your hand." before she shuddered at the thought.

"I gotta admit Charlie Brown,this seems like a good idea. Plus I think we'll get there faster if we don't have to constantly be interrupted by people getting on and off,not to mention it at least looks better than those two cars we rented in France." Linus showed support of Marcie and Snoopy's idea as Patty added "Come on Chuck,this is a much better idea than the bus." to which Sally added even further "Yeah big brother,plus I think there would be at least an extra seat for that girl whenever we find her."

It was Sally's final remark that prompted Charlie Brown to go along with the idea as he soon shrugged his arms and sighed "Alright. Let's get in and go everyone so we can try and beat that traffic." before the group gave off mostly silent cheers and Snoopy even gave off another loud blow of the horn,much to the annoyance of the others as he and Woodstock snickered at the display.

* * *

One by one they all piled their belongings and other various luggage into the trunk of the car before they eventually got in as well,with Linus and Charlie Brown being the last ones to get themselves and their luggage in as the former stated "Hey Charlie Brown,I wanted to give these to you." before he handed the boy in the front passenger seat two pieces of paper from his pocket.

The first piece of paper was in actuality a map of the state and the other one was a promotional flyer for finding orphaned or lost kids new homes as Charlie Brown smiled and remarked "Hey a map and a flyer for lost kids! This is great Linus." before Linus replied "I printed these last night before I went to bed,as well as taking the time to learn some info on the crash,disappearance,and the police case. Who knows,it could be useful down the line."

"Yeah I guess so. It doesn't hurt to have some spare information." Charlie Brown sighed and admitted before he took a look at the map and stated "So Rebecca said that she lived in Kansas before she moved here,so if we head North for the time being we will eventually find the crash site. Especially since they like to put up memorials for victims of the road."

"All right! Let's get this show on the road!" Patty ecstatically exclaimed before Charlie Brown turned around and meekly stated "You know if you guys really don't want to,you can stay here if you want,and me and Snoopy can go get her. It's been a long time since the crash so there's probably gonna be more traffic,and it may take us a day or two to get there. Are you guys sure you don't wanna stay?" to which Patty scoffed "Why in the world would we do that Chuck? It's not like we have a whole lot to do around here despite school being out." as Lucy added "I'm going because I need to look out for my brother unfortunately. My parents would kill me if I knew I let him go all by himself."

"Yeah. So let's go get Rebecca back!" Patty exclaimed once more before the others determinedly cheered as Snoopy slammed his foot on the gas pedal and blasted them off into the sunrise,for their adventure to bring Rebecca to a new home had at last begun.

* * *

The ride was as typical and expected as any other road trip would be,the gang constantly got stuck into traffic jams,sang plenty of songs on the way that annoyed the heck out of certain passengers,shared plenty of laughs,and they took group pictures in front of a whole lot of state specific landmarks as they made their way towards the crash sight. And yes,it was a lot more comfortable than taking the bus.

 _*Over montage of the gang driving and exploring the state.*_

 _Tell everybody I'm on my way,new friends and new places to see. With blue skies ahead yes I'm on my way,and there's nowhere else that I'd rather be._

 _Tell everybody I'm on my way,and I'm loving every step I take. With the sun beating down yes I'm on my way,and I can't keep this smile off my face._

' _Cause there's nothing like seeing each other again,no matter what the distance between. And the stories that we tell will make you smile,oh it really lifts my heart._

 _So tell 'em all I'm on my way,new friends and new places to see. And to sleep under the stars who could ask for more? With the moon keeping watch over me._

 _Not the snow,not the rain,can change my mind,the sun will come out wait and see. And the feeling of the wind in your face,can lift your heart. Oh there's nowhere I would rather be. 'Cause I'm on my way now. Well and truly. I'm on my way now._

 _(I'm on my way now. I'm on my way now. I'm on my way now.)_

Soon the gang would be met with an incredible and beautiful sight when they came across a field full of water geysers on both sides of the road they were on as the water combined with the sun created multiple rainbows at once.

 _Tell everybody(tell everybody)I'm on my way(I'm on my way),and I just can't wait to be there(just can't wait to be there). With blue skies ahead yes I'm on my way,and nothing but good times to share._

 _So tell everybody I'm on my way,and I just can't wait to be home(just can't wait to be home). With the sun beating down yes I'm on my way,and nothing but good times to show._

 _I'm on my way! (Yes I'm on my way!)_

" **ON MY WAY" COPYRIGHT OF WALT DISNEY RECORDS**


	10. Chapter 10: The Long Road Ahead

Do You Remember Me,Charlie Brown? A Peanuts Musical

Chapter 10: The Long Road Ahead

It took a long time,it took a long and grueling car ride along with a painful hike through the woods,but the gang had finally made it to Mrs Hampton's Orphanage as they were now standing right outside the mansion in the parking lot. They were all left in awe of the fact that the parking lot was completely abandoned and that the look of the building was overall very desolate and overrun with plants,but Charlie Brown however was absolutely ecstatic to see Rebecca again as he wasted no time and ran straight towards the front door when he suddenly heard a familiar voice call out to him from what seemed to be the tallest floor aside from the clock tower "Charlie Brown?!"

"Rebecca?!" Charlie Brown called out to her in excitement and surprise as he barged right through the front door and entered the orphanage,he wasn't the least bit bothered by the large amount of dust and dirt that somehow fouled up the air and only cared about Rebecca as he frantically ran up the stairs and exclaimed "Rebecca I'm coming!" when the voice called out his name again. When Charlie Brown finally reached the highest possible floor,he bursted right through the door of where the voice seemed to be coming from,the main office.

"Rebecca I'm-" Charlie Brown ecstatically called out to the voice but suddenly stopped when he saw that the office was completely dormant aside from the sunlight coming in through the window before he finished much more confused "here." Charlie Brown then proceeded to slowly walk around and examine the office as he tried to look for Rebecca and called out to her "Rebecca are you here? It's me Charlie Brown? Rebecca?"

*SLAM!*

Charlie Brown jumped and yiped when he heard that the door to the office suddenly slammed shut and that the window was covered by curtains as he turned around to see that the door was almost imbedded shut. He ran to the door and tried to open it but it seemed to be locked and it wouldn't budge at all as he called out to the others down below "Guys the door's locked! I need help up-"

*SWOOSH*

The boy stopped once again when he suddenly heard something brushing through the air as he was too shocked by fear to move and he started to sweat bullets. He knew he had to turn around to see what was lurking inside the office with him and because a yellow light suddenly turned on,but he was scared that what he would see would shock him to the bone. However he soon felt something urge him to turn around when he heard a very familiar voice codly call out to him "It's you."

As Charlie Brown gulped and slowly turned around to face the figure head on,he instead saw a shadowy figure standing in the unlit darkness as he meekly replied to the voice out of a mixture of surprise and confusion "Rebecca,is it you?" to which the figure in question slowly walked into the light as it answered in a shrill and emotionless voice "Charlie….you're too late."

Standing in front of Charlie Brown and staring back at him in the golden light was a bruised,haggy,rugged and most of all angry looking Rebecca. Her previously golden,blonde hair was now a ghostly white mess,her eyes were dark red and any kind of emotion other than contempt had long been sucked out,her clothes were incredibly rugged and stained with ash,and her fingernails were grown so long to the point of being razor sharp. Charlie Brown was absolutely horrified to see his childhood friend be reduced to this visual and mental mess as his eyes instantly widened at the sight of her and he asked in a panic "Rebecca,what happened to you?!"

"You abandoned me,that's what happened." Rebecca codly replied as she stepped out of the light and walked through the pitch black darkness before Charlie Brown nervously stammered "What? Wh-what do you mean? I came here to find you a new home with a new family,and get you out of this place! I came here so I'd never lose you again!"

However Rebecca wasn't having any of Charlie Brown's defenses as she scoffed and retorted "I was stuck out here for years and years,I lost my parents,my home and everything I ever had. For years you lived your happy little life with your friends and your dog,while I rotted out here alone waiting endlessly for help,but no help ever came. You thought you had it bad? You thought losing a baseball game and getting the blame for it was bad for you? For years and years all I've felt is misery and despair,and I want you to feel every bit of it!" before she suddenly ran out of the darkness and pinned Charlie Brown on the ground with the intent to choke him.

"Rebecca please stop it! You're my friend!" Charlie Brown nervously pleaded as he tried to keep Rebecca's hands off his neck to which she merely raised an eyebrow and replied "Oh please Charlie,since when did you ever care about me? Those friends of yours weren't the only ones who wanted you to stay out of their lives,so was I!" before she managed to put him in a powerful chokehold.

"R-r-Rebecca please. Stop." Charlie Brown stammered pleaded endlessly as he felt himself start to lose consciousness but that plea fell upon deaf ears as Rebecca instead evilly smiled to herself and squeezed his neck hard enough to the point where it snapped in an instant.

* * *

"Ahhh!" Charlie Brown yelled in fear and shock as he shot wide awake from his little nap in the car and greatly startled Snoopy and the others as the dog continued his driving. It was none other than a nightmare as the boy was breathing heavily and his heart pounded violently like that of a drum,not to mention that the clock in the car said that it was 9:00 in the morning so it was still relatively early.

"Charlie Brown are you alright? What happened?" Linus frantically asked in a panic as he leaned his head forward to which the round headed boy merely kept silent while he put his hand on his neck to thankfully see that it was free as he gave off a sigh of relief.

"Come on Chuck spit it out." Patty firmly insisted that Charlie Brown tell them what happened as he nervously gulped and stammered nearly out of breath "I…...I had another dream,no a nightmare…...about Rebecca." to which Lucy rolled her eyes and groaned "You know maybe you should start trying to learn how to lucid dream. You gotta get control of your mind back Charlie Brown."

Marcie on the other hand ignored Lucy's sny remark and comfortingly asked Charlie Brown when she noticed how fearful yet relieved he seemed to be "What happened Charles? You can tell us." to which Scheroder nodded his head and backed her up with a faint smile "We're all ears."

After a few more moments of everyone staring up ahead awaiting an answer,Charlie Brown lifted his head up and begun to recall his latest dream "We found the orphanage like we hoped,it was like a huge mansion like the chateau we stayed at in France except this one had a clocktower at the very top. I went in and tried to look for Rebecca,but she was absolutely mangled from head to toe and she was furious with me for…..abandoning her….and she choked me to death before I woke up."

Everyone in the car including Snoopy and Woodstock gasped out of shock as Linus asked just to make sure he didn't hear wrong "Wait,are you sayin Rebecca choked you?" to which the boy merely nodded his head in what appeared to be embarrassment and shame before Sally groaned and asked her brother "Are you still worried about her being angry with you big brother? We talked about that the day before we left."

"I know Sally." Charlie Brown turned around and replied in a somewhat shaky voice before he continued in a more upbeat and cheerful tone "I know…...it was….it was just a bad dream. She'll be fine….she'll be fine." to which Patty shrugged her arms and retorted "Well if you say so Chuck. Anyway where are we? It's been almost a week since we hit the road."

"Really? It's been that long already? Didn't Rebecca supposedly die the day that they left?" Lucy asked in bewilderment that they have already been on the road for almost a week as Linus calmly replied "Well when they're always adding new highways,construction areas,towns and that kind of stuff,it should really be no shock that it's taking us longer to get to the crash site. Although I would like to see some kind of hint that we're almost there soon."

"Yeah I'm already getting home sick big brother." Sally added in agreement as she and some of the others were starting to already get homesick to which Charlie Brown took a look at the map and remarked "Well if I'm right we should be nearing the city border,and if I recall correctly that's where Linus said the crash site was since he looked it up the night before we left."

"Yes indeed Charlie Brown." Linus nodded his head and calmly confirmed that he did as he continued "From what I've read of the location,the crash site is in an area called Bakersfield. It used to be nothing but another stretch of highway on top of a hill next to a huge forest. But now they've since done a lot of construction there and turned it into a small rest stop,there's an old fashioned diner,a gas station,a small shop,and they've even built a huge flight of stairs that you can use to go down into the forest for hiking and camping."

"So does that mean we can use the car's GPS to find this Bakersfield place?" Charlie Brown asked out of curiosity as he glanced at the car's touchscreen interface that happened to contain a GPS before Scheroder shrugged his arms and suggested "Let's give it a shot and see if it works." to which Woodstock used his talons to type in Bakersfield into the GPS since Snoopy was driving.

* * *

Everyone's attention was dead set on the GPS as it showed nothing but a blank loading screen for at least 10 seconds until a robotic female voice came out and said "Starting Route To Bakersfield." to which they all gave a sigh of relief that it actually worked,only for them to get confused when the voice suddenly came back and said "Congratulations,you have reached your destination."

"Huh?" They all said to themselves in confusion as they lifted their heads up to see that they were approaching what appeared to be a small rest stop,and like Linus said it had an old fashioned diner,a gas station,a store and the stairs leading into the forest below as Charlie Brown grew a smile and remarked "Hey we finally made it. Slow down Snoopy." to which the dog slowed down the car and got into one of the available parking spaces.

"Finally,let's get out of this thing already." Patty stretched out her arms and ecstatically remarked as Lucy added equally as relieved "If I stayed here any longer I think I would have been permanently glued to the seat."

"Dreams do come true!" Sally happily exclaimed as well due to them finally reaching the crash site before they all got out of the car and were immediately greeted by the early morning sun rising over the hills and trees. It was still mostly cool outside since it was early in the morning,and they were all glad to finally be out of the car again.

As they were all looking around the parking lot and glancing at the various stores and places to rest in,Charlie Brown turned around to the others and suggested as he handed Linus the map "Why don't you all go on ahead to the diner and get us a table for breakfast,and I'll get us some camping gear from the store?"

"Sure thing Chuck. That's what I like about you,you're quick to think ahead." Patty instantly agreed with the boy's idea as Sally sternly added "Make sure you get the right stuff this time,remember our last camping trip?"

"Yes…..I remember." Charlie Brown sighed and confirmed that he did indeed remember as he started to shudder at the thought of the last time he was in charge of getting camping supplies before he started to head on over to the store,while the others headed into the diner as Snoopy started snickering uncontrollably in excitement.

* * *

Once Charlie Brown made it to the small little country shop down the street,he slowly creaked open the door to be met with the sound of a small bell ringing at the top of the door as he timidly called out "Hello? Anyone here?" to which a little boy's voice instantly responded "You ain't alone here buddy."

Afterwards a little boy that looked around Charlie Brown's age with short brown hair,square glasses and a blue t-shirt stepped on out from behind the main counter where the cash register was as he cheerfully greeted the new customer "Hi there,names Devin. My dad owns this shop but he's currently at the other side of town for a business trip,so I'm running things for the time being till he gets back. Now what can I do for you this morning?"

"Uh,pleased to meet you Devin." Charlie Brown enthusiastically greeted the worker with a small little handshake before he continued "I just wanted to know if anyone was here. I'll be right back with what I need." to which Devin chuckled and joked "Just make sure you pay for it,I don't wanna have to bring out Mamma's taser for the second day in a row."

After about a few minutes of searching,Charlie Brown finally came back to the front desk with a huge pile of camping supplies,a map of the reigion,and some snacks for the hike up ahead in his arms as Devin gasped at the sight of it and asked in awe "Gee wiz are you planning on living out in those woods? That's enough to last you a month out there." to which the boy shook his head and politely corrected him while he put them up on the counter "Actually it's for me and my friends. They're at the diner across the street. We got ourselves a long hike up ahead."

"Really? What for? Usually people just come on out here to get some food and go,they rarely go down there into the woods." Devin asked out of curiosity as he got up on a stool and started checking out the items to which Charlie Brown clarified on what they were doing "Well me and my friends are out looking for Mrs Hampton's Home For Abandoned Children. One of my friends is there and we're trying to get her a home."

Instantly Devin stopped checking out Charlie Brown's items and instead raised an eyebrow in confusion as the letter started to sweat in nervousness before he timidly asked "Is something wrong?" to which Devin brushed it aside and replied as he went back to checking out the items "Oh nothing,but last I heard she hasn't sold off a kid to be adopted in ages. I've heard she's very recluse,she only goes out when she absolutely has to,but the strangest thing…..is that there are rumors,well it's more like an urban legend that she's holding one last kid there,and that she forbids them from ever getting adopted. Who knows,if the rumors are true,then that kid could very well be that friend of yours."

Charlie Brown was left in awe of the supposed rumors about Mrs Hampton and this other kid of hers,but in the back of his mind he knew that it had to be Rebecca as he got a more determined look on his face and asked Devin while he payed for the camping supplies "Do you happen to know the way to the orphanage? I really need to get there as quick as possible." to which Devin pulled out Charlie Brown's map he intended to buy and wrote something on the back of it with a pen as he replied "The woods that are down there are as far as I know,the fastest way to get there. It should take you and your friends about a day without any major hassles,I'd recommend that you just head on north and you'll know it when you see it."

It seemed that Devin had finally finished writing whatever it was he wrote as he slid the map over to Charlie Brown,and the boy instantly looked at the back of it to see that it was the directions to the orphanage as he ecstatically thanked the boy "T-thanks so much for your help Devin."

"Hey no problem,it gets very boring in here very quickly,all I do most of the day is stare out the window and wait for people going to The Grand Canyon or some other place to show up. This was a nice change of pace for once." Devin cheerfully replied as he handed Charlie Brown his huge bag full of all his camping supplies to which the latter thanked him once again before he headed out "Thanks again for your help Devin."

After Charlie Brown put the camping supplies in the back of the car for the time being,he soon felt his stomach growling violently and loudly as he groaned to himself "Good grief,I'm starving. I gotta eat." before he headed over to the diner. When he finally headed inside however,he would be shocked yet simultaneously not shocked at the same time to see that Snoopy and Woodstock already had a huge stack of 20 pancakes and waffles,and that Patty and the others hadn't even gotten their drinks yet.


	11. Chapter 11: Next Stop The Orphanage

Chapter 11: Next Stop The Orphanage

After Charlie Brown and the rest of his friends settled down and had a nice mid-morning breakfast at the diner and in Snoopy and Woodstock's case an entire buffet's worth of food,they were now mostly set to go down into the woods and head off for the orphanage,all they really had to do was let their food sit since they were advised not to go down there immediately after eating since a hike like this could possibly lead to stomach cramps,not to mention that Charlie Brown was kind enough to tell the others about Devin and his little shop and directions across the road.

As they all walked out of the diner with satisfaction and made their way back to the car to get their supplies,Patty happily remarked as she fiddle around with a toothpick "You know,I like your styles there everyone. Nice of each one of us to get something entirely different." before Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and retorted "I just wish Snoopy would have stopped dancing on all the tables whenever he turned on the jukebox." to which the beagle innocently shrugged his arms.

"I was this close to just shoving that dumb beagle off the table. But then I realized that wouldn't be the best thing to do in a public place." Lucy calmly stated as she leaned on the right side of the car to which Linus sighed and complimented his sister "Well at least it was nice of you to hold back for once,I was expecting you to make quite a scene back there."

"Oh believe me I would've if it were only a few people in there." Lucy shook her head and jokingly retorted as Scheroder turned towards Charlie Brown and asked him out of curiosity "So what do we do now Charlie Brown?" before Patty enthusiastically added "Yeah what's next for this big trip of ours." to which Charlie Brown clarified things as he opened the trunk and pulled out some of the camp supplies "Well Devin said that the fastest way to the orphanage is to go through the woods and head on north,and that we'll know it when we see it. We could technically take the car but that would take longer than just hiking there,and I don't want Rebecca waiting any longer than she has too,she's been alone out here for far too long."

"Yeah,I couldn't stand to be out here for most of my life,it must be horrible to never be adopted by a family while everyone else gets one." Linus nodded his head in agreement as he stared off into the horizon and large stretches of forest down below before Charlie Brown stated "Devin said that all this should be enough to last someone a month,so I don't think we need to worry about running out of supplies,he also said that if we don't run into any problems we should be able to make it by nightfall."

* * *

After Charlie Brown got all their camping and hiking supplies out of the car and after Snoopy put on his purple dog dish as a hat,they all picked up some of the supplies whether it be the camping chairs,the tent,the water canister and in Scheroder's case his piano before they headed down the concrete stairs and into the woods down below as Charlie Brown sighed and remarked "Well,here we are. Again if we do this just right,we should be able to make it to the orphanage by nightfall."

Once they all made it down the stairs and were immediately greeted by the feeling of grass and dirt under their shoes,Patty took a big whiff of the air and remarked in an almost excited tone of voice "Can you believe this everyone,we're in mother nature's own playground. It's like being in summer camp except we have to make our own camp and not rely on cabins and barracks." to which Sally huddled up close to Linus in fear and asked when she noticed the foreboding and dark vibe of the woods they were in "Will you protect me my sweet baboo?"

Before Linus could retort with his classic rebuttal of her claim that he was her sweet baboo,Marcie suddenly perked up and stated in an attempt to calm her down "There's nothing to worry about Sally,this is a hiking trail." before Scheroder calmly added "The most we'll see along the way may be some bugs or some rabbits here and there."

"Besides if we come across any lions,or tigers or bears,I'll slug them." Lucy confidently added in agreement as Patty chuckled and retorted "Well that didn't stop you and the others from screaming your heads off during the river race." to which Lucy angrily tried to defend herself "Hey that was a long time ago and you know it." before they were all interutped by the sound of a strange howling noise relatively close to them as Sally and Lucy screamed at the seams and hid behind Snoopy.

"What was that Lucille?" Patty smugly asked when she noticed how scared and shocked Lucy was only for that fear of hers to quickly turn into anger when Snoopy started snickering uncontrollably at the display,for it turned out that the howling was just a prank done by him as Lucy and Sally angrily balled up their fists and the former threatened the dog "Why you little-"

"Uh,guys,you better take a look at this." The voice of Linus suddenly interrupted a potential fight with Lucy,Sally and Snoopy as everyone turned their heads over to see that Linus was looking at something over in the distance behind a tree. "What is it Linus?" Charlie Brown asked out of curiosity as he and the others cautiously walked over to see what Linus was looking at,only to be mortified and shocked when they saw what it was.

Standing behind the tree and on the ground was a small white cross over a medium sized memorial site,the memorial site itself was surrounded by many flowers ranging from roses,violets,poppies and buttercups,and what they were surrounding in question was a small photograph of Rebecca and her parents nailed into it,with the words "In Memory Of The Hornwell Family. May God Bless Them And Their Loved Ones For All Eternity." being written above the cross.

Everyone was mortified yet simultaneously unsurprised to see that this was here,this was the crash site where Rebecca's parents died and where Rebecca herself ended up vanishing that day,so it was no shock that the state decided to put up a memorial here in their honor and memory.

Charlie Brown stood there in utter silence as he did nothing but stare at the picture of Rebecca and her family before Linus timidly asked so as not to potentially upset him "Charlie Brown? Are you alright?" only to receive no answer as Marcie added "Charles?"

Once again they all received no answer of any kind and were left only with complete silence from Charlie Brown,almost to the point of unsettlement as Sally meekly asked "B-big brother?" to which Snoopy tried to comfort his owner by giving him a loving hug. It seemed that this was finally enough to snap Charlie Brown out of whatever daze he was in as he sighed and somberly remarked "Sorry everyone,it's just that…...Rebecca's parents died here at this place,and everyone including the police thought that Rebecca did too…..even me. But we were wrong,she's still alive and all alone out here,and that no one ever knew for all these years. She can't stay out here any longer,not for one more second."

Linus and the others were once again left in complete silence until the former balled up his fist and determinedly stated as he patted Charlie Brown on the shoulder "You're right Charlie Brown,not for one more second. I may not have known Rebecca,but I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's brought back home." to which Peppermint Patty heroically added "Linus is right,we're gonna march straight into that forest and get her outta there."

"I admit there are worse ways to spend a summer vacation,a rescue mission is pretty out there." Scheroder chuckled and joked as Snoopy and Woodstock saluted like soldiers and Lucy and Sally nodded their heads in support,despite the former girl practically forcing herself to come along in the first place to which Charlie Brown grew a smile and thanked them all "Thanks everyone. Let's go."

As they all walked away from the memorial of Rebecca's family and made their way back to where they were before,they were once again greeted by the mostly ominous and dark vibe of the woods due to how early it was as Sally once developed a concerned and fearful frown,only for Linus to surprisingly try and comfort her as he held her hand in support making her smile and lifting her sense of safety a little as they all proceeded to head into the forest,with Charlie Brown temporarily glancing at Rebecca's letter.

 **Linus:** _We're gonna walk down that path and over the rise._

 **Charlie Brown:** _Guess we'll discover just where our destiny lies._

 **Marcie:** _Who cares how dark it'll be? Cause I got you-_

 **Patty:** _You got me._

 **Everyone:** _So let's go see where this whole thing's going. Next stop anywhere._

 **Charlie Brown:** _Heading' where she's supposed to be,with y'all close to me._

 **Everyone:** _Next stop anywhere._

 **Scheroder:** _Facin' every jeopardy,linked inseparably._

 **Everyone:** _Next stop anywhere._

 **Sally:** _Though it may get rough for us._

 **Lucy:** _We're enough for us._

 **Everyone:** _Next stop anywhere._

 **Charlie Brown:** _And she is waitin'._

 **Linus:** _I feel her waitin'._

 **Charlie Brown:** _With new adventures to share everywhere!_

 **Snoopy's Thoughts:** _Everywhere!_

 **Everyone:** _Everywhere!_

" **Next Stop Anywhere Reprise" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records**

 **Author's Note:** **Here's a little bit of an update/announcement,when this story is over and done with,feel free to use Rebecca in your stories if you want to,but make sure to credit me and wait until the story is finished. Because I have special plans in store for where Rebecca ends up at the end,and I want her story to be taken into account if anyone else wants to use her. Also I'm putting this story and my Mary Poppins crossover into full blast and giving these both full attention now. So for those who were anxiously waiting for updates on this one in particular,I'm back.**


	12. Chapter 12: Reunited At last

Chapter 12: Reunited At Last

As it was to be expected the kids continued to make their way through the forest without any major hurdles or detours,like Scheroder and Marcie had said earlier they were on a hiking trail and they made sure they followed it to a tee despite how little it was actually used by other people who came on by. The hike itself for the most part was actually pretty pleasant and even kind of relaxing,due to there being so many trees it was mostly cool and not very hot despite it being near the end of June,not to mention that they never ran into any bears,lions or tigers. All there was was the sounds of birds,the lovely summer breeze and their own banter that broke the silence every few minutes and during their lunch break.

It was relatively early into the evening as the sun was slowly starting to make it's daily decent and leave the forest in a blanket of night,but it wasn't super late either since they were all guaranteed at least 2 more hours of sunlight before it would get to be nighttime. Charlie Brown was slowly lagging behind all the others as he was far too focused on the map and making sure they always headed north on their compass,even to the point of bumping into trees and rocks by accident,he even fell in a river they had to use rocks to jump across by accident which resulted in a good laugh from everyone and his embarrassment,but his attention would thankfully be diverted back to the trail when he heard the voice of Patty call out to him from up ahead "Woah! Hey Chuck take a look at this!"

"Huh?" Charlie Brown asked back in confusion as he lifted his head up to see that Patty and the others were all standing on top of a nearby and relatively steep hill before Linus stated in awe "Wow,that is something." to which Sally called out once again "Come see this big brother!"

"I'll be there in a second everyone!" Charlie Brown called out to them as he put away the map and the compass and proceeded to slowly/cautiously climb the steep hill and join the others up top. Once he finally managed to make it to the top after tripping and falling down once,he took a deep breath and asked in a tired and woozy tone of voice "Alright,I'm up,what was it you guys...wanted to…..show me?" but slowed down as his eyes were quickly diverted to what everyone else was looking at,and it left him in complete awe.

Stretching out for as far as their eyes could see was a massive and huge stretch of trees,green fields and forestland. Granted it wasn't anything that they hadn't already seen up till that point on the car ride there,but being able to see it fully in person combined with the slowly setting sun giving it all a yellow/orange tint along with the sky and clouds,it was a truly marvelous sight.

"Wow. That is beautiful." Charlie Brown remarked in sheer awe of what he and the others were looking at as Linus nodded his head and agreed "Mother nature never disappoints with its beauty Charlie Brown,you just gotta wait for the perfect time to take a look at it." to which Sally happily sighed and swooned at the display "Its almost like its from a dream."

"You're sure right there Sally,it's literally a dream come true." Peppermint Patty laughed and playfully joked while Lucy couldn't help but be impressed by the visual spectacle as well "I have to admit,you can't beat or get that kind of view anywhere else." before Marcie smiled and added "I guess we're all lucky we got here when we did huh?" to which Scheroder calmly and finally suggested "This calls for a group photo right here,who has the camera?"

"I do. But why not let me be in a group photo? I've had to take all the pictures so far." Charlie Brown replied and politely asked as he took out the camera he brought along for the trip to which Peppermint Patty instantly agreed to take the photo while she snatched the camera away "You know what,why not? Get in there Chuck."

One by one everyone got into position for a group photo while Patty set up the camera and Charlie Brown got at the far end of the group near the edge of the hill since there wasn't that much room left. Once they were all ready and gave off huge smiles for the impending photo and just as Patty was about to hit the click button,Charlie Brown suddenly felt his foot slip as he fell right off the hill and landed on the ground down below with a loud thud.

"Chuck are you alright?!" Peppermint Patty asked in a panicked tone of voice as they all ran over to the edge of the cliff to see if Charlie Brown was alright to which the boy groaned in pain "I'm okay,I think." before Scheroder asked strangely calm "Do you wanna come back up and take it again."

"No thank you!" Charlie Brown yelled from down below as he slowly stood up and regained his posture before everyone else slid down the hill and thankfully didn't get bludgeoned along the way like he did. Once everyone made it down the hill and rejoined Charlie Brown,he wiped some of the dirt off his clothes and asked out of curiosity "How did I look in the photo?" to which Patty nervously replied as she handed the boy the photo "Well the thing is,you weren't really in it."

"Good grief." Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and groaned as he looked at the photo to see that he had already fallen off when Patty took the photo,leaving him completely out of it as he sighed and tried to look on the bright side of things "Well,at least y'all were in." before Lucy sternly suggested "You know what,I think it's time we make camp."

"What? Why now?" Linus asked in bewilderment that Lucy already wanted to set up camp despite there still being plenty of daylight left as she replied dumbfounded "Because it's gonna be night soon,so we might as well go ahead and hunker down for the knight."

"But there's still at least 2 hours left of sunlight left Lucy,I think that'd be a waste of our supplies" Marcie politely disagreed with Lucy's idea as she looked at her watch and the current height of the sun to come up with that conclusion to which the latter shrugged her arms and retorted "So?"

"So I think we should keep on going and make as much distance as we can. What do you think Charlie Brown?" Scheroder joined in the conversation and asked as Charlie Brown begun to sweat and nervously stammered "Well uh-" before being interrupted by Sally "Yeah you're the leader big brother,what are we gonna do?"

Charlie Brown's heart began to pound and he felt his stomach churn violently,he hadn't had to make a leader like decision like this ever sense the river race at Camp Remote,not to mention that he felt the heavy and stern stares of everyone including Snoopy and Woodstock pound down on him,but after a few more moments he finally spoke up and bluttered out "W-well Marcie said that we have at least 2 hours left of sunlight,so I suggest that we keep on going until it gets to dusk,that should give us about another hour to hike and enough sunlight for us to see while we set up camp."

"Alright that sounds good,so how about we use a democratic vote to see if we stay or keep on going?" Patty smiled and seemed to agree with Charlie Brown's idea as Lucy groaned and disagreed "Enough with the voting Patty,didn't we have enough of it at camp?" to which Scheroder surprisingly agreed with Lucy and added "And wasn't it your voting game that caused us boys to sleep out in the cold all night?"

"I think we should hold off the voting for now sir." Marcie couldn't help but disagree with Patty's idea as well,and knowing that she was being overruled,Patty ultimately decided to do away with the idea as she shrugged her arms and turned it down "Hey if y'all are voting against me,then we'll do away with the votes for now. C'mon lets go." to which Charlie Brown took another look at the compass and map and said "Ok,we continue to head north and if we don't find anything by dusk,we'll stop and set up camp."

"But it looks like the hiking trail is going east instead of north." Sally suddenly interjected with Charlie Brown's plan as he questioned in confusion while he lifted his head up "Huh? What do you mean?" only for him to quickly see why. As he and the others all looked up ahead,they would be greeted by the sight of the brown dirt hiking trail going east instead of north like it had been for the whole hike,leaving the northern path up ahead being nothing but a bigger barrage of trees and fully grown forests.

"Oh man. This is not good." Charlie Brown nervously said to himself as he looked at the compass to see that the north direction was leading them off the beaten path to which Lucy once again suggested "You know I think we should set up camp now and try to think of a new idea on how to get around this." before Patty sternly shut her down "Oh enough with the camping Lucille." to which the girl pouted and folded her arms.

"What do we do here?" Scheroder asked out of curiosity as it was Charlie Brown's call on what they would do to which the boy stood there in complete silence since he was clearly thinking it over while Marcie sighed and stated "This Devin kid Charles met said to keep going north,but the hiking trail is moving away and going east. I don't think we came all this way to get between a rock and a hard place."

After a few more moments of thinking and pondering,Charlie Brown seemed to have finally come to a decision as he nervously gulped and remarked "I don't know if you guys are gonna like this,but I think we should keep going north. I know the trail is moving east instead but Devin said to keep going north,what if we end up completely missing the orphanage if we keep following the trail?"

"But we'll be out in the middle of nowhere if we keep on going north. What if we get lost?" Sally asked out of a clear desire to go east and stay on the trail,but it seemed that Linus was quite alright with Charlie Brown's idea as he retorted "Hey we'll be fine Sally,if we keep going north and make it to the orphanage,all we have to do is head on south and we'll make it back to the rest stop in no time."

"Oh aren't you so smart?" Sally suddenly and sporadically agreed with the idea as she swooned over Linus to which the boy got red in the face and put his blanket over his head before Charlie Brown nodded his head and added "Linus is right. We need to continue heading north. We've been doing okay so far,and I think we'll all be okay if we continue to head north."

"Alright if you say so,but if we get lost or get eaten,I'll never speak to you again." Lucy sternly yet reluctantly obliged to go along with the plan before they would all be startled when they heard Snoopy suddenly happily shout from above "Heyyyyy!" to which they all jumped and immediately redirected their attention upward to see that Snoopy and Woodstock were standing at the top of a nearby tree. They both seemed to be looking at something off in the distance and they seemed to be oddly excited at the same time as Charlie Brown asked in confusion "What are you two doing up there?" to which Woodstock happily chirped something and Snoopy made an arm signal signifying that he wanted them to come up there.

"Alright I'm coming up." Charlie Brown sighed and reluctantly obliged to see what Snoopy wanted as he climbed up the tree branches and joined him and Woodstock up top. Once he finally made it up to the top of the tree,Charlie Brown wiped some of the gravel he got from the climb off his clothes and asked "Ok,what do you want to show me?" to which Snoopy immediately redirected his owner's head to the left to reveal a shocking sight. Staring back at the three travelers off in the distance was a large chateau like building with a clock tower at the very top,it looked to be a few miles away from them but it was still clearly visible as well.

Charlie Brown's eyes widened as soon as he saw the building because in the back of his mind he knew that had to be the orphanage,not just because it was the only thing they had seen out in the forest,but because it was 100% identical to what he saw in his dream. He didn't say a single word and only stared off into the distance while Snoopy and Woodstock both smiled at the boy since they were obviously happy for him while Patty called out and asked from down below "What do you see up there Chuck?" as Charlie Brown snapped out of his daze and stammered in excitement "I….I see the orphanage!" to which everyone else gasped at the mention and exclaimed in unison "WHAT?!"

"Yeah we see it up ahead,it's just a few more miles up north!" Charlie Brown ecstatically replied out of happiness that they finally found the orphanage as Lucy exclaimed in relief "Woo-how! We're almost there." to which Patty frantically suggested "Well what are we doing just standing here?! Come on and get down here already so we can go!"

"Okay I'll be right down." Charlie Brown laughed and retorted as Snoopy and Woodstock both jumped down from the tree so Sally and Marcie could catch them before Charlie Brown whispered to himself "Just hold on a little longer Rebecca,we're almost there." to which Scheroder chuckled and whispered to the others "I haven't seen him this happy in a long time."

* * *

Meanwhile back at the aforementioned orphanage,Rebecca had since given up any kind of hope that she would ever get out of her prison thanks to Mrs Hampton's stern rules and the fact that she tossed out her written letter with no intention of actually sending it anymore,unaware that she would be in for a huge surprise later on.

Rebecca was busy playing a friendly game of chess with Amy while Jasper was watching from the sidelines uninterested as usual,Rebecca was still trying to look on the positive side of things since it was the kind of kid she was,but it was definitely starting to prove to be very hard. Amy was very quick to notice that Rebecca seemed to be extremely depressed looking despite her being a bird as she tweeted something out in concern to which the girl sighed and replied with a bit of a smile "Oh it's nothing Amy,I'm fine." only for the bird to give off a disapproving glare signifying that she saw through her blatant lying.

"Alright I'm…...just a little peeved that mother is forbidding me to be adopted and step one foot outside and that I'm gonna be staying here all my life even when I get older." Rebecca ultimately caved in and admitted that she wasn't feeling good after all as Jasper jumped on top of the chess table with a small picture of Mrs Hampton and attempted to shove it off and break it,only for Rebecca to grab it before it hit the ground and interjected "No don't do that Jasper! You know I love my adoptive mother,she just needs to lighten up a bit and-"

Rebecca's rambling would however be interrupted when they all heard the sound of a door loudly opening down below as she felt her blood turn cold and stomach violently churn. "What was that?!" Rebecca whispered to herself in a panic before they all heard the voice of what sounded like a boy with a thick southern accent "Well looky here Herman,we found ourselves a chateau,and I thought these bad boys only existed in Europe."

"I don't recognize that voice,there's a stranger here! I'm hyperventilating here." Rebecca continued as she was clearly starting to have a nervous breakdown as Amy flew over to the stairs to see who this mysterious visitor was. Once Amy was able to get a good enough look at this new kid and who this Herman character was,she would be surprised with what she would be greeted by,but they definitely gave her an uncomfortable vibe as she flew back up and frantically tweeted something to Rebecca.

"What? We better hide?! And they're coming upstairs?!" Rebecca frantically asked in a nervous tone of voice as Amy nodded her head to which the girl and her two friends quickly used a nearby rope to hide on one of the many wooden pillars that held up the ceiling so they could get a good look at the intruder. Rebecca could feel her heart pounding violently and she was starting to steam up in fear,for this was the first time a stranger had ever broken in while she was home alone,and also the first time she had seen another kid again due to the voice.

After about 10 more seconds of waiting,Rebecca and her two friends started to hear the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs and after a few quick moments,the visitors had finally reached the top and revealed themselves. As Rebecca stared at the two strangers,she was quite confused by what she saw due to the fact that one of them wasn't even a person at all and instead what appeared to be a black wolf,and the other stranger despite being a boy was equally as weird looking.

The boy looked to be around Rebecca's age and was wearing much more old fashioned overalls compared to her or most other kids she had seen,short brown hair topped off with a brown and black fedora,his two front teeth were missing revealing a small hole whenever he smiled,a small worn backpack,and finally an eye patch covering his left eye. Rebecca was quite unsure of whether to classify this guy as a threat or just a stranger,since he did seem to sport a very friendly and enthusiastic grin on his face,but on the other hand he still looked very rugged and had a wolf as a companion as she asked herself in confusion "Who is this boy?" to which Amy sternly and fiercely pounded her fists together.

"Hold on you guys,I don't know if this guy is gonna be a problem." Rebecca quietly and nervously requested as Amy reluctantly held herself back before they heard the boy happily remark "Man look at this place Herman. We could easily fit all of us in here,as long as there aren't any people livin here already or else we'll have to find someplace else to hunker down."

'Well at least he's not trying to mug us." Rebecca whispered to herself in relief unaware that the boy actually heard it as he and the wolf immediately redirected their attention upward and asked "Hey Herman did you hear that? Who on earth is up there?"

"Oh man,he heard me!" Rebecca nervously panicked in fear that she would get discovered as Amy suddenly darted right out of the corner and started violently pecking the boy in the head as he yelled "Hey! Oh dagnabbit help me Herman!" only for the wolf to ignore him as it started cackling at the display of a boy being attacked by a bird.

"Amy what are you doing?!" Rebecca yelled in a mixture of anger and bewilderment as she reluctantly jumped down from the ceiling and tried to catch Amy and stop her assault while the boy asked in awe when he saw that he wasn't alone "What in the world?! Where'd you come from?!" to which Rebecca frantically retorted "I'll tell you later! Amy get back here and stop pecking at him!" only for the bird to also ignore her as she tweeted something very demeaning out.

"Amy! Where did you learn that kind of mean language?!" Rebecca gasped and angrily asked as she had finally managed to grab ahold of Amy before the mysterious boy added while he rubbed his head in pain "That bird of yours has a mighty powerful beak,and I'll have you know little birdie that I am not a hobo!"

"I'm so sorry whatever your name,it's just that Amy gets very skittish around strangers-" Rebecca nervously tried to apologize for Amy's sudden attack on the boy's head but suddenly stopped when she realized that the boy seemed to have understood the bird like she could as she stammered "Wait…...did you just understand Amy?"

"Yeah,and she's got a perty foul mouth if I say so myself." The boy nonchalantly replied as he put his knocked off fedora back on before his eyes widened at the revelation that this girl seemed to have understand the bird as well and asked "Wait…..can you understand the bird too?"

Rebecca was far too shocked and confused by the situation presented in front of her that she couldn't even bring herself to answer the boy's question until he suddenly grew a long smile and ecstatically exclaimed "Well I'll be darned! Hey Herman we got ourselves another animal whisperer,and I thought I was the only one."

However the boy was quick to notice that Rebecca didn't seem very excited like he was,in fact she looked downright terrified for some unknown reason as he asked in confusion "Hey what's wrong girl?" before he got an idea and chuckled while he held out his hand "Oh please pardon my manners miss-" but stopped when Rebecca started to slowly back away with a look of uncertainty.

"Hey….it-it's just a handshake miss. It's alright-" The boy politely and kindly tried to comfort the clearly frightened girl before she interrupted him and timidly asked "Who are you,and what are you doing here?" to which the boy finally decided to introduce himself "Well here goes,my name is Edward but you can just call me Ed,flows off the tongue better. And this right here is my trusty companion Herman the wolf."

"Hi Herman." Rebecca quietly greeted the wolf with a wave of her hand and a very faint smile before Ed continued "And if you're wondering what I'm doing out here,well I've never really belonged anywhere,parents dumped my scrawny behind off at an orphanage as soon as I was born."

"Aww,I'm sorry Ed." Rebecca started to show a little bit of sympathy for Ed being an orphan as well before he shook his head and retorted "You really shouldn't be miss,to be honest I think it was for the better,I don't think I would have fit in too well with normal people,with me being an animal whisper for as long as I could ever remember to the point of practically being able to talk to the critters and all,and apparently all the other kids at the orphanage thought so too since no one ever ate with me,played with me,and always made sure to avoid me at all costs. So when the time was just right,I decided to just pack up my things and live my life out in the great outdoors,and it's been like that ever since. Just travelin the world with me,Herman and some of my other pals,I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Now with my life story out of the way,would you mind telling me yours?"

After a few more moments of silence,Rebecca finally decided to introduce herself as well as she stammered "R-Rebecca Hornwell. And I see you've become familiar with Amy,and lastly this is my friend Jasper the toad." before she held out the aforementioned toad as it croaked to which Ed happily remarked while his face began to turn red "Well that's more like it Rebecca,that's actually a nice name you got there,it's the only thing I knew about my real mother. So uh…...you're an animal whisperer too? I just thought I was the only one after all these years." before Rebecca nodded her head and confirmed that she was "Yeah but…..I wasn't always like this you know,stuck in an orphanage out in the middle of a forest with only two animals as my friends. For the first few years of my life,it was just me and my parents out on a small country farm in Kansas,until one summer when we decided to temporarily move to Sparkyville for the…...and I met a boy there. He was the only kid who was remotely nice to me and didn't try to bully me every time I walked down the street,we quickly became good friends and for those months we did everything together,went to the beach,went to the playground,and unfortunately I wasn't able to see the 4'th of July fireworks since I was sick that day,but he did decide to come over and watch a movie with me while I was sick. But then the day came when we had to move back,and it was so sudden but there was a car crash on the highway that led into the woods,there was a fire…..a-a-and then-"

Rebecca was starting to tear up as she was clearly remembering the death of her parents more vividly almost as if it had just happened before she continued "And just like that my parents were gone,and I found myself here alone for all these years. I've seen so many kids get adopted and taken to a new home over the years while I was always the odd one out,but when all the kids were gone and no more ever showed up,it's just been me here with no one,and it's all because my new mother won't let me get adopted,I don't know why but she just won't." Ed was left completely shocked and bewildered after hearing Rebecca's life story as his jaw hung wide open and Rebecca was left on the verge of tears after having to vividly remember everything she had gone through.

Eventually Ed finally snapped out of his awestruck daze and started to develop a vengeful and determined look on his face as he took out what appeared to be a baseball bat from his backpack and asked "Alright,where is she,if she won't let you go politely,I'll make her." to which Rebecca tried to dissuade him from using violence "No Ed you don't need to do that,besides she's not here anyway,she's on a business trip and won't be back for a few more days I think. Plus…...maybe I should stop trying to escape anyway."

"What?! You're just gonna let yourself rot here for the rest of your life because some old hag wants you to be her daughter? This is your perfect chance to leave girl!" Ed asked in shock that Rebecca seemed to have given up trying to get out as she politely retorted "Look Ed I know you mean well here,but you don't understand. I've tried to escape so many times,I tried to write a letter to my friend in Sparkyville and I tried to convince my mother to just let me go twice,but she still won't bite. I know what you're thinking,is this really supposed to be my life? Just sitting around and waiting for someone to come and get me even though I know it will never happen? With the way my life has been so far,maybe it is."

 **Rebecca:** _Guess we are all born with parts to play. Some of us are stars and some are just in the way. I know I was meant for something,but that's never what my story brings,and yet I keep on waiting._

 _When you have the passion and the drive. You expect your moment center stage to arrive. I show up with heart a blazing,ready to achieve amazing things,but I'm left waiting in the wings._

 _I hear my cue and yet I'm kept there waiting. Know what to do and still I stand there waiting. It's always someone else who sings,while I'm left waiting in the wings._

 _And so I keep on keeping on,my chances come and then I blink and they're gone. Always overlooked unfairly,while pretending that it barely stings,but it stings yes it stings._

 _And I'll shed no tears,I'll only keep on waiting! If no one cheers,well I can keep on waiting! Who cares how loud,the silence rings,you'll find me waiting in the wings._

* * *

However Rebecca and Ed's discussion on whether or not she should leave the orphanage and try to find a new home would be suddenly interrupted when they heard the front door open again from downstairs,although it would be much more polite and quiet before they heard a boy's voice call out "Hello? Hello? Anyone here?" to which another voice that sounded like a girl's added "Is anyone home? We're just looking for someone."

"Uh…...are those friends of yours?" Rebecca timidly asked Ed as she was starting to feel nervous again as Ed shook his head and denied it "No way Rebecca,you're the only other kid I've seen for quite some time. These are strangers." before they heard another boy call out from below "Rebecca are you here?"

"They know my name?! Are they here for me?!" Rebecca gasped at the revelation that these new strangers seemed to have known her name as Ed heroically replied while he straightened out his fedora and raised the sleeves of his shirts up "I don't know,but I'll make sure you don't find out. Herman,Amy,Jasper stay here and look after Rebecca,I'll deal with these guys." before he snuck off to try and take care of the intruders,leaving Rebecca alone with the baseball bat.

Once Ed made it over to the stairs and was able to get a good look at the strangers,he would be quite surprised by what he saw. They all appeared to be kids that looked around his and Rebecca's age along with a black and white beagle and a small yellow canary,but Ed could have sworn that the beagle and one of the boys in particular looked oddly familiar.

However Ed would quickly brush this strange sense of deja vu aside as he jumped right off the edge of the stairs and shouted "Timber!" to which the kids immediately redirected their attention upward to see Ed about to land right on top of them.

"What the-" Linus asked in confusion of what was going on before he was swiftly interrupted when the boy landed right on top of his head and started punching him like crazy as the others instantly tried to get him off despite how weirded out they were.

"Hey got off of my sweet baboo you hobo!" Sally angrily yelled as she started throwing whatever she could find sitting around at the boy to which he yelled amidst his assault "I am not a hobo!" before Peppermint Patty added while she tried to punch the boy in the face and knock him off "Get off of our friend you freak!"

"Get off of my brother! Only I can rag on him like this!" Lucy demanded in anger and scorn while she tried to pull the mysterious boy off her brother as he sarcastically retorted "Oh thank you so much Lucy!" All the while Charlie Brown,Snoopy,Woodstock,Marcie and Scheroder were merely and nervously watching this display from the sidelines in utter confusion not knowing what to do in this kind of situation.

"Don't worry up there,I'll protect you Rebecca if it's the last thing I do,or my name isn't Ed!" The boy shouted at the top of his lungs on the verge of being pried off Linus as Charlie Brown's eyes widened out of shock as soon as he heard the boy's name. "Hold on a second." He thought to himself in confusion as he could have sworn that the name "Ed" sounded very familiar before the boy was finally thrown off of Linus and into a nearby wall as Peppermint Patty pounded her fists together and angrily remarked "All right,let's get mm!" to which Lucy and Sally retorted in unison "Yeah!"

"Oh gold nuggets." Ed nervously whispered to himself as he was preparing for the beat down of a lifetime,but just as Patty and the other two girls were about to lay the smack down on him,Charlie Brown suddenly came in between them and yelled "Hold on guys!"

"What's the big idea big brother? He jumped Linus and nearly killed him." Sally angrily lamented her brother for trying to get in between their assault on Ed as Linus straightened out his messed up hair and remarked in a woozy tone of voice "That kid has some issues." before Charlie Brown replied "I know but…..I think this guy's actually a friend of mine."

"Huh?!" Everyone in the room gasped at the possibility that Charlie Brown might have known this mysterious boy as even Ed raised an eyebrow and asked "Now looke here mister,if I knew you I wouldn't have jumped your friend over there in the first place." to which Charlie Brown turned around to face the boy. He took a long hard look at the now dirty and slightly bruised boy before he eventually asked "Ed? Is that you?" to which the boy developed a puzzled frown and slowly stood up.

Ed seemed to stare at Charlie Brown quite intently as well much to the concern of the others as Linus readied his blanket in case he needed it and Patty cracked her fists,but after a few more moments Ed finally pointed at Charlie Brown and meekly asked "Wait a sec…...Charlie Brown?" to which the latter merely kept silent. After about 10 more seconds Ed suddenly grew a large smile and started to happily laugh as he exclaimed "Well howdy there Charlie Brown! What on earth are you doing out here?!" before he gave the boy a big ole crushing bear hug to which he replied nearly out of breath "Hi there…...Ed. I could ask the same to you." while the others merely watched with confusion.

However it seemed that Ed's reunion with Charlie Brown was actually loud enough for Rebecca to hear all the way upstairs as she instantly felt herself turn ghost white and her eyes widened as far as they could possibly go,she have to had heard that wrong. She hadn't heard the name Charlie Brown come from someone else that wasn't Mrs Hampton for years,but now it seemed that he was here in the orphanage.

"Amy,Jasper,oh my god he's here. Charlie Brown's here. What's he doing here?!" Rebecca quietly and frantically whispered to herself in a mixture of happiness and confusion as she snuck over to the stairs to try and get a look at the kids,and just as she was expecting/hoping,Charlie Brown was indeed down there getting a massive bear hug courtesy of Ed. He looked exactly the way he did the last time she saw him aside from an increase in his height,he still had the same round head and the same old yellow shirt with the black zig-zag across it. Rebecca then placed her hand over her mouth in an attempt not to alert him of her presence just yet as she snuck away from the stairs and ran into her room and happily screamed into her pillow.

* * *

Meanwhile back down stairs Ed had finally managed to let go of Charlie Brown and allow him to catch his breath as he had since noticed Snoopy and exclaimed "Well hi there Snoopy! Come over here you little hound dog!" to which the beagle quickly remembered his encounter with Ed in the woods and happily gave him a hug as well while Ed asked "How have you been buddy?! Man today just keeps getting better and better,hey Herman Snoopy's here,come on down."

Afterwards Herman quickly came jumping down the stairs and made it to the front floor of the orphanage much to the awe of the others as Patty's confused glare turned into an excited smile as she exclaimed in awe "Woah a wolf!" to which Sally on the other hand screamed at the sight of it and hid behind Linus.

"Relax he's friendly!" Ed laughed and tried to calm Sally down as Herman and Snoopy shook paws and gave each other a reunion hug before Linus brushed it all aside and rationally tried to figure out what was going on "Well hold on a second here,who are you? What are you doing here? And how do you two know each other?"

"Well...it's a bit of a long story." Charlie Brown timidly chuckled and replied before he continued "Well do y'all remember when I ended up running away after that one baseball game? Well part of the reason I was away for so long is because I ended up hurting myself really bad in the woods,and Ed here happened to find me and he nursed me up and even taught me some survival skills. He's also an orphan and an animal whisperer."

"Yep it's all true,and me and Snoopy ended up meeting in the woods when he ended up running away as well from what my memory serves." Ed nodded his head and backed up Charlie Brown's statement with a smug grin on his face before Patty decided to let bygones be bygones and introduced herself to Ed as she held out her hand "Well you sure sound like an oddball Ed,but to be honest that's the kind of people I like. Name's Peppermint Patty."

"Howdy there Patty. Name's Edward but you can all call me Ed as Chuck over there kindly displayed." Ed gleefully greeted Patty as he shook her hand before Linus walked up to him and remarked "Well at least it's not just Rebecca we'll find today. Linus Van Pelt." to which Charlie Brown suddenly perked up and exclaimed "Oh yeah that's what we're here for,Rebecca where are you?!"

"I'm right here." An angelic and absolutely beautiful sounding voice instantly answered Charlie Brown's answer from behind to which everyone except for Ed gasped at the mention and redirected their attention over to the stairs with the exception of Charlie Brown as he felt his stomach churn and his forehead begin to sweat before Linus softly whispered "Charlie Brown,it's her."

"Wow,I don't say this very often,but she is pretty." Lucy couldn't help but admit at the sight of her as Snoopy and Woodstock quietly exclaimed at her beauty as well "Ooh!" before the former anxiously tugged at Charlie Brown's shirt. After a few more moments,Charlie Brown finally decided that it was time to face Rebecca as he nervously gulped and whispered to herself "Here goes nothing Charles." before he mustered up all of his inner strength and slowly turned around,and what he would see would shake him to his inner core.

Standing at the top of the stairs and slowly walking down them was a beautiful young girl around everyone else's age with long golden blonde hair and a bright purple dress with a violet colored bow tied to the back. Charlie Brown instantly felt himself turn bright red at the sight of her as he started to walk towards the stairs and even Rebecca seemed to blush a little at the sight of him as well. Once Charlie Brown and Rebecca were both at the base of the stairs and were fully staring at each other,the former finally decided to speak up and greet his long lost friend "Rebecca…...is it you?" to which the latter blushed once more and greeted him back as she looked down at her feet "Hi Charlie Brown."

However Charlie Brown slowly started to develop a guilt filled and saddened frown as he started to tear up and tried to apologize for forgetting her "Rebecca…..I am so sorry for everything. I-" before being swiftly interrupted when Rebecca gave him a huge and heartfelt hug while she happily whispered "This is real." to which Charlie Brown slowly joined in. Snoopy and Woodstock both "awed" at the sight of it and Linus,Sally and Lucy smiled at each other and Patty patted Marcie on the shoulder. It seemed that it was a happy and tearful reunion for all and once Rebecca and Charlie Brown finally let go of each other,the former started to laugh uncontrollably which the latter quickly joined in before she exclaimed "I-I just can't believe this! Y-you're really here and still wearing those same old clothes of yours. You haven't aged a day." to which Charlie Brown chuckled and retorted "I could honestly say the same to you,you do look a little different but I'm just glad you're here."

Rebecca's attention however would be soon directed over to the others as she developed a slightly puzzled look on her face and asked in confusion and curiosity "Uh…..do you know these guys?" to which Charlie Brown turned around and decided to introduce them "Oh yeah,these are some of my friends from back home. Why don't y'all introduce yourselves?"

The first up was Linus since he had finally managed to straighten himself back up as he waved over to Rebecca and greeted her "Hi there,my name's Linus Van Pelt,and over there is my sister Lucy." to which the latter calmly joked "Don't ask him about the blanket."

"All you should know is that it's the fastest blanket in the west,and this is my younger sister Sally." Charlie Brown nodded his head and decided to introduce his sister as she politely waved over to Rebecca before Charlie Brown continued "And this is my dog S-" but stopped when he noticed that Snoopy was already kissing Rebecca's hand as he rolled his eyes and continued "Snoopy."

"You never told me you had a dog." Rebecca happily remarked since she was very fond of dogs while she started to scratch Snoopy's ear to which Charlie Brown kindly corrected her "Actually I got him after you…...moved." before Woodstock suddenly got right up in Rebecca's face.

"Oh! Who's this?" Rebecca softly gasped at the sight of the yellow bird and asked as Charlie Brown clarified things for her "Oh that's just Woodstock,he's one of Snoopy's friends." to which Rebecca gently shook hands with Woodstock and remarked "Well it seems you've become a bit of an animal person. Actually speaking of which." before she whistled at the top of the stairs and Amy and Jasper came coming down.

After they both got on top of Rebecca's shoulders and were now facing the whole group,Woodstock immediately started blushing at the sight of Amy while Rebecca decided to introduce the animals to everyone "This is Amy and Jasper,they're some of my only friends around here. Amy,be nice." to which the bird cautiously flew around everyone and examined them while Rebecca continued "Amy gets a little cautious around newcomers,just be wary about that. And Jasper is mostly alright with anyone."

"A little maybe the biggest understatement of the entire millennium." Ed scoffed and quietly disagreed with Rebecca's choice usage of the term before Scheroder cleared his throat and introduced himself "Pardon but uh….my name is Scherdoer…..Rebecca is it?"

"Hi there Scheroder….uh what's with the piano?" Rebecca greeted Scheroder back and asked in curiosity when she noticed the red piano in Scheroder's hands as he nonchalantly retorted "A musician makes sure to bring an instrument wherever he goes,just in case he needs it." Afterwards Patty and Marcie decided to lastly introduce themselves as the former cheerfully greeted Rebecca "Hi there,names Peppermint Patty,I'll say Chuck over there told us a lot about you." to which Marcie added while she cleaned the dust from the air off her glasses "He sure did huh sir? I'm Marcie." before she shook hands with Rebecca.

Meanwhile Amy was continuing to inspect the gang and make sure they were okay to be around,and as soon as she reached Woodstock who was standing in Snoopy's purple dog dish on top of his head,the yellow bird's blushing greatly intensified as he started steaming and shaking violently,and even Amy seemed to blush a little but nowhere near as intensely before she quickly flew away and perched on Rebecca's shoulder. Afterwards Woodstock flew out of the dog dish and merely floated in mid air with hearts appearing around him,Snoopy was very quick to assume that Woodstock was starting to fall in love as he merely smiled and rolled his eyes at the display.

* * *

It now seemed that everyone was finally and properly introduced to each other and Rebecca had managed to calm herself down as she asked "Well now that we're all…...acquainted,what are y'all doing here anyway? And how'd you find this place anyway?" to which Charlie Brown stammered while he pulled out both of the pieces of paper he brought including the flyer for the orphanage "Well you see,I got your letter and we decided to come out here to…...get you a new home."

Rebecca on the other hand was quite confused by what they meant by that since she hadn't recalled sending off a letter of any sort as she raised an eyebrow and asked for clarification "M-my letter? What letter?" to which Marcie tried to jog her memory while Charlie Brown handed her the letter "The letter you sent to Charles? It said you were very lonely here and that you wanted to see him?"

As Rebecca glossed through the written letter Charlie Brown handed her,she started to slowly realize that this was the letter she wrote the day her mother had left as her eyes widened out of shock and she stuttered "Y-y-you guys…...this is the letter I wrote but…...I never really intended to send it."

"Huh?" Charlie Brown replied in confusion of this strange revelation as Linus politely asked "What do you mean by that Rebecca? Didn't you want to see him?" to which Charlie Brown snapped out of his confused daze and added "Yeah you said you wanted to talk to me about something? Was that "something" about wanting a new home away from here? Because we can get you out of here and give you a loving family….and maybe you can live in Sparkyville again for real this time. Don't you want that?"

Rebecca was utterly bewildered at the fact that they came all the way out here just so they could get her out of this prison of hers as she grew a large smile and replied on the verge of tears "Oh Charlie Brown,you guys all did this for-" but that enthusiasm and happiness would quickly fade away when the harsh and stern words of her mother rung and echoed in her head "Rebecca,don't ever ask to leave this orphanage again." and "ENOUGH WITH THE ADOPTION REBECCA! YOU ARE NEVER LEAVING THIS ORPHANAGE! EVER!" as her smile faded away into a saddened frown.

"N-no. I can't leave,I have to stay here." Rebecca nervously and timidly stammered as she slowly started to back away up the stairs and Charlie Brown replied in shock "What?! No Rebecca,you don't have to live like this anymore!" to which Ed added while they all followed her up the stairs "We were just talking about this earlier,you don't have to let that witch of a woman control your life."

"You're making a big mistake here Rebecca,come with us please." Linus pleaded that Rebecca come with them in agreement as Charlie Brown added on the verge of a panic attack "Rebecca you need to listen to us,don't be afraid."

 **Charlie Brown:** _Please don't shut me out again,please don't slam the door,you don't have to keep your distance anymore._

' _Cause for the first time in forever,I finally understand. For the first time in forever,we can fix this hand in hand,we can head through that forest together,you don't have to live in fear. 'Cause for the first time in forever,I will be right here._

 **Rebecca:** _Charlie,please go back home,your life awaits. Go enjoy the sun and laugh and play and skate._

 **Charlie Brown:** _Yeah but-_

 **Rebecca:** _I know,you mean well,but leave me be. Yes I'm alone but I'm alone and safe,so stay away and leave me be._

"Rebecca are you even listening to yourself? What's gotten into you?" Charlie Brown asked in awe that Rebecca was even considering staying behind as she tried to explain herself "My mother has forbidden me from ever being adopted and leaving this place,I've tried to escape so many times but every time I fail. What's the point of trying if I'll just get cooked up here again anyway?"

"But Rebecca she's not even your real mother,she just found you and is now dictating your life. It's not right and you have to know that." Linus shook his head and tried to knock some sense into Rebecca as Patty added in frustration "Rebecca if you stay out here you're making a big mistake." to which Sally fiercely added "Our brothers didn't drag us all out here for nothing. You're coming with us."

It was then that Charlie Brown realized that the borderline threatening sounding tone from Sally and Patty was certainly not helping things as he walked right up to Rebecca and pleaded once more "Rebecca….listen to me,you have lived like this for far too long…...and it's all my fault. I tried to forget about you after I thought you had died,and it caused you to be stuck out here for all these years. And I just want to make it up to you in anyway I possibly can,if you just come with us to Sparkyville we can easily find you a better and more suitable home for you. Please let me be your friend again?" before he held out his hand. As Rebecca stared at Charlie Brown's held out hand,she started to think things over intensely in her head,on the one hand her mother had forbidden her to ever leave the orphanage and she would be deliberately disobeying her by doing this,but on the other hand she would finally have a chance to live the life she wanted for so long.

After about 30 more seconds,Rebecca had finally made up her mind as she started to tear up and grow a small smile before she took Charlie Brown's head and finally obliged "You don't even have to ask for that." to which everyone immediately started cheering in excitement. Snoopy,Woodstock and Sally started happily dancing,Lucy and Linus actually came together for a hug which was very surprising coming from them,Charlie Brown and Rebecca gave each other another hug before Marcie patted Charlie Brown on the shoulder and happily stated "You finally did it,well done Charles." to which Patty laughed and remarked "I was worried we'd have to knock you out and bring you back home ourselves!" which resulted in everyone including the animals having a laugh.

* * *

Sometime later the gang along with Ed were all out and about on the front lawn of the orphanage with all their supplies in hand as Lucy yawned and asked "How much longer till we can set up camp?" to which Marcie looked at the current height of the sun and her watch and speculated "It looks like we got at least 30 minutes left of sunlight." before Charlie Brown called out "Rebecca you coming?"

"I'll be right down everyone!" Rebecca happily replied from her bedroom window while Amy and Jasper happily sat down on her shoulders before she sighed and remarked "I just can't believe it you guys,I'm actually getting out of here after all these years. I keep expecting myself to wake up under the clock tower or something like that,but no…...this is all real."

 **Rebecca:** _Look at the world so close and I'm halfway to it. Look at it all so big do I even dare? Look at me there at last,I just have to do it._

 _Should I? No…..here I go._

Afterwards Rebecca dashed right out of her room and came sprinting down the stairs at a speed she never thought she could muster up,but as soon as she reached the still open front door,she stopped dead in her tracks. Instead she merely stared at the others and the huge forest awaiting her outside with just a little bit of uncertainty left inside her,but it was when she saw Charlie Brown kindly call out to her "Come on,it's alright." that she finally decided to step outside for the very first time.

The feeling of fresh green grass under her feet and feeling the hot and setting sun shine directly on her was a feeling she never would have thought she'd ever feel again as she started to laugh uncontrollably in excitement while the others watched with glee.

 _Just smell the grass,the dirt,just like I dreamed they'd be! Just feel that summer breeze,the way it's calling me! For like the first time ever I'm completely free!_

Afterwards Rebecca decided to run straight on into the forest and climb up one of the many trees as she was already starting to embrace her freedom.

 _I could go running,and racing,and dancing,and chasing,and leaping,and bounding,hair flying,heart pounding,and splashing,and reeling and finally feeling,now's when my life begins!_

" **Waiting In The Wings","For The First Time In Forever Reprise",and "When Will My Life Begin Reprise 2" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records**


	13. Chapter 13: Suddenly Trouble

Chapter 13: Suddenly Trouble

Rebecca had done it,she had finally done it,after years and years of being locked up and kept away in a literal prison by her adoptive mother,she had finally taken a chance and stepped out of her bounds. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity she was feeling sunshine on her face again without having to resort to opening a window,and she was actually walking on fresh grass instead of just a slowly rotting wooden floor. She was literally as happy as she could possibly be as she gleefully explored the forest with the others,and all they could feel at the moment was pure happiness as well,not for themselves,but for Rebecca.

It was a little while after the sun had set over the luscious green hills and most of the sky was filled with dark and ominous looking clouds,for rain was most likely on its way as Lucy was quick to notice this and asked "Uh it looks like it's about to rain,please tell me you got an umbrella Charlie Brown." to which the boy looked upwards at the sky and nervously replied "Uh…..I think we left the one we had in the car."

"Oh good grief." Lucy facepalmed in bewilderment of the fact that they left the umbrella behind by accident as Linus tried to find a solution to their problem "Well if we have to,we could go back to the orphanage for shelter….if that's alright with you Rebecca?" to which the girl stopped her curious exploration of the forest and kindly replied "Oh I don't really mind,whatever y'all do I'm okay with. Besides it's thanks to y'all that I'm finally out of there! Woo-hoo!"

"I'm sorry to rain on your parade here Rebecca,but would you mind keeping your voice down a little?" Peppermint Patty politely asked after she had to cover he ears due to Rebecca's over excited yelling as Rebecca got bright red in the face and frantically apologized "Oh I am so sorry Patty…..I'm just so excited to be out of…..sorry I'll keep it down for now on."

"Well we better find ourselves some shelter soon because I don't wanna get my hair wet." Sally joined in on the conversation with a big hint of concern in her voice as Charlie Brown tried to calm her down "We will Sally,there's bound to be a rock or w cave around here somewhere. We can find shelter there." before he decided to continue a conversation he was having with Ed before he was interrupted by Lucy from earlier "So Ed,what were you doing out here in the orphanage anyway? I thought you and your pals were stationed out near Highsky Acres,that's all the way down south from Sparkyville if I remember properly."

"Well you see,I'm a bit of a nomad,and if whatever place I'm currently staying at stops suiting my needs or just gets boring,I just hightail out of there and find someplace else. I was having my eyes set out on that orphanage back there for me and my crew until I found out it was…..occupied." Ed stretched out his arms and nonchalantly explained his reasoning for why he was out here in the first place before he noticed Woodstock's lovestruck daze up ahead and remarked "Gee that little bird friend of yours Snoopy seems to be in a love coma. I haven't seen a case this bad since Cletus the anteater fell in love with another one named Abigail,believe me I had to deal with that phase of his for months." to which Snoopy lightly chuckled at the remark. Woodstock was still unable to take his eyes off Amy no matter how hard he tried,and even Amy couldn't help but feel a slight hint of feelings for him as she decided to quietly mention it into Rebecca's ear from her shoulder.

"Really? He's already falling for you? Well why don't you go and try to…...socialize with him?" Rebecca asked in awe that Woodstock was already falling in love with Amy as the latter gave the former another quick glance which resulted in him timidly waving his hand over to her to which she finally obliged and flew over to Snoopy's dog dish.

However as soon as she made it over to the purple food bowl where the yellow bird was,he instantly darted away to somewhere else much to Amy's confusion. She was starting to suspect that Woodstock was far too shy and bashful to confront her directly as she decided to maybe try and talk to him another time,but just as she was about to fly away from the bowl and get back on Rebecca's shoulder,Woodstock suddenly came back with what appeared to be a bright red rose in his mouth as he lay it down in the middle of the bowl with a very nervous smile.

Amy was absolutely flattered and awestruck to have received a heartfelt gift like this from another bird as she started to blush almost on an equal level as Woodstock before she quickly grabbed the flower with her talons and gave the bird a quick kiss on the cheek,which resulted in his eyes widening,his body turning bright pink and him literally fainting inside of the bowl. Amy quietly chuckled at the sight of Woodstock being reduced to such a lovestruck mess before she flew back over to Rebecca's shoulder and showed her the rose he gave her as she happily gasped and asked "Woodstock gave that to you? Oh that was so sweet of him,now maybe you should give him something in return." to which the bird nodded her head in agreement while Jasper merely croaked out of indifference.

* * *

However the entire group's conversations and lovely stroll would be sharply interrupted when they heard the rumbling of thunder very close by,and they started to feel very light droplets of rain along with a very powerful gust of wind as Lucy groaned in annoyance "Oh great,just great. Now we're stuck in a rainstorm!" while Woodstock started to shiver due to the cold of the rain.

"Aww is a little rain gonna make you melt Lucille?" Patty chucked and sarcastically asked in a smug tone of voice before a large,blinding bolt of lightning struck the tree they were directly under and caused a smile spark of fire as they all jumped at the sight of it while Charlie Brown exclaimed in a panic "Good grief!" to which Sally rhetorically asked in a mixture of fear and anger "Why do I now feel like I've been drafted?!"

"Let's just try and find some shelter! Come on let's go!" Ed suddenly suggested in a heroic and authoritarian tone before they all ran off and tried to find some shelter of any kind,while Amy and Jasper had since gotten in Snoopy's supper dish in an attempt to comfort the terrified Woodstock.

As they all continued to run through the soaking wet and almost pitch black woods due to how dark it was,the speed and power of the wind was starting to quickly increase as many of the surrounding trees were starting to swerve around violently and look like they were about to be ripped clean out of the ground. In fact there was soon another gust of wind so powerful that it blew Woodstock right out of the bowl and caused him to flutter around out of control,Amy on the other hand was very quick to notice this and due to her being a much more skilled flyer than Woodstock,she ultimately took it upon herself to go after the helpless little bird as she darted right out of the bowl and quickly caught him with her talons.

Instantly Woodstock's panicked chirping and attitude stopped and was replaced with pure gratitude and once again love as he looked up at the bird that was carrying him and saw her glowing in bright heavenly light despite how dark it was in the real world. Soon Amy managed to catch up to the others and bring Woodstock back to safety by encouraging Snoopy to hold onto him,ultimately preventing him from getting in another accident like that.

"Come on there has to be something around here we can use!" Lucy yelled in an anger filled panic when she couldn't seem to find any kind of shelter from the storm as Scheroder remarked in a more calm tone of voice while he tried to shelter his piano "I just hope my piano is safe."

"That's what you're more worried about?!" Sally yelled in bewilderment that Scheroder seemed to care more about his piano rather than their safety but before Scheroder could try and retort that,Marcie suddenly perked up and stated "Hey I see a large rock over there,we can use that for shelter."

"Alright gang,let's move!" Ed once again commanded in a stern and authoritarian tone of voice as they all picked up the speed and tried to rush for the rock,only for Charlie Brown to suddenly trip on a tree branch and accidentally drop the map and the compass on the ground. Rebecca was very quick to notice this as she ran over to the boy and tried to pick him up,only for him to politely refuse her help and instead suggested "Don't mind me Rebecca,just try and get the map and compass." to which the girl nodded her head and tried to rush for the two lost items.

Rebecca was just about to grab hold of the map and the compass but a very sudden and inconvenient mudslide caused some of the trees,nearby rocks and even the two items to slide right down the hill as she held out her hand and yelled in shock "No!" before Charlie Brown finally regained his posture and asked "What? What happened?" to which Rebecca meekly pointed at the mudslide and explained "Well I was about to grab the map and the compass,but a mudslide suddenly happened and now they're both gone because of me!"

"Oh good grief." Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and remarked in disappointment before he noticed that Rebecca was on the verge of tears,almost like she blamed herself for failing to get them back as he tried to comfort her "Hey Rebecca it's not your fault,even if I went after the map the mudslide still would have taken them away. Come on let's get over to that rock and try to set up camp."

* * *

Meanwhile Lucy,Ed and the others had since made it over to the rock and just like Marcie had suspected,it was practically big enough to protect them all from the storm and have enough room for them to set up camp.

"Boy am I glad all that is over." Lucy remarked with a sigh of relief as she and the others headed under the rock and started to set up a small campfire with their supplies,and once Herman and Snoopy made it under the rock they immediately shook all of the water off their fur and directly onto Lucy as she groaned in disgust "Ugh! If dog germs wasn't bad enough,now I gotta deal with wet dog germs!" to which the two animals quietly giggled at Lucy's misery,for even Herman seemed to have a playful side despite his more threatening appearance.

Soon afterwards Charlie Brown and Rebecca finally showed up absolutely soaked with rain as Linus exclaimed with relief while he started to light the fire "Hey,there they are." before Marcie added when she noticed how miserable they both looked "The two of you look terrible,did something happen?"

"We lost the map and the compass." Charlie Brown timidly explained themselves as everyone else in the borderline cave gasped out of shock before Lucy exclaimed in anger "What?! You lost the map?" to which Sally added equally as angry "Nice going big brother,now we're stranded in the middle of nowhere."

"It wasn't Charlie Brown's fault,it was mine!" Rebecca suddenly decided to stand up for Charlie Brown when she saw how everyone was ganging up on him before she continued "He tripped over something and he told me to get the map and the compass,but I was too slow and it got lost and probably destroyed in a mudslide. You guys should be mad at me." to which Linus sighed and tried to defend them both "Hey it wasn't any of y'all's fault,it was just a bad case of Mother Nature getting in the way. Come on let's try to make the best of what we've got here."

"But what are we gonna do here Linus? We're still stuck out here and are probably miles away from the trail by now?" Sally asked with a huge amount of concern in her voice before Patty tried to figure out a solution "Hey if we could survive getting lost in the woods during the river race at camp even with Chuck's leadership skills,then I think we can survive a little detour out here in these woods." to which Scheroder on the other hand disagreed "But at least with the race we had the river to follow,I don't know if there is even a river out here."

"Hold on everyone,I think I got an idea." The voice of Ed suddenly joined in on the conversation as everyone under the now fully lit rock redirected their attention over to the boy who was trying to dry himself off by the fire "Now you fellers should know that I know the land inside and out,and that Herman over here has a nose so powerful he can smell fried chicken all the way from Kentucky. So when all this rain lights up come tomorrow morning,why don't we become your…...tour guides for now?"

"So you're saying you can get us back to the hiking trail and the rest stop?" Sally asked with a much more excited tone of voice as Ed nodded his head and confirmed that he could "Indeed Sally,I stopped by there for a quick bite to eat with some spare money I found on the way to the orphanage,however I know nothing about this hiking trail y'all were talking about,so we'll have to use a different route compared to what y'all used but I think we'll get y'all over there in no time. Plus I think we're bound to find a few fun pit stops along the way."

"I sure hope so,cause the 4'th Of July fireworks show is in two weeks and I don't wanna miss it." Patty stated in a hopeful tone of voice as Rebecca suddenly perked up and asked "Wait...4'th Of July fireworks show?" to which the former cheerfully replied "Yep,every year Sparkyville has a huge showing of fireworks and even though me,Marcie and Franklin have to go all the way to Chuck's side of town to see it,it's 100% worth it if you ask me."

"It really is sir,what about it Rebecca?" Marcie nodded her head and backed up Patty's statement about the fireworks show as Rebecca stared at the glowing yellow fire and meekly replied "Well it's just that….I've never really seen a fireworks show before." to which everyone gasped out of shock before Charlie Brown asked "What? Not even in Kansas?"

"Yeah...my parents couldn't really afford fireworks at the time and I was far too sick to go outside and watch the show when we moved to your town,and you came over to watch a movie with me instead to cheer me up." Rebecca somberly replied and explained the reasoning why she had never seen fireworks before as Patty got a very determined look on her face and exclaimed "Alright Rebecca,you are seeing that firework show this year no matter what!" to which Lucy confidently backed her up "Yeah you'll love it,they almost put theme park fireworks to shame."

"Gee with the way y'all describe them maybe I'll come over and watch them with y'all." Ed chuckled and remarked in excitement as Charlie Brown seemed to agree with the idea and added "Yeah you should Ed,maybe you could meet some of the others like Violet,Patty,Pig-Pen." before a loud,booming thunderclap suddenly made everyone jump. Snoopy and Woodstock hid behind Rebecca,Sally cuddled up with Linus much to his disgust and everyone else got closer to the fire as it generally made them feel safer during the storm.

"Well it seems like this rain isn't gonna lighten up anytime soon." Linus sighed and remarked in disappointment as Patty started taking out some pointy sticks and some hotdogs while she stated "Well,we might as well make the best of it,who's hungry?" to which Charlie Brown rubbed his stomach and replied "I have to admit,I could eat something right about now."

"Well grab yourselves a hotdog and start cooking." Patty cheerfully suggested as they all grabbed themselves a hotdog and started roasting them on the fire as a way to pass the time. If they were gonna have to deal with a bad thunderstorm the whole night,at the very least they would try to make the best of it.

* * *

The next morning everyone woke up in their sleeping bags feeling all nice and refreshed next to the since put out campfire as Charlie Brown stretched his arms out and called out "Morning everyone." to which Ed gave a sigh of relief and replied from the outside "Well it's about time the lot of y'all started waking up,I was starting to think y'all were in a coma." Like they were all hoping and expecting,the rain storm had long since passed on and the forest was now a dry and sunlit marvel,there were multiple rays of light slicing through the trees and many of the local animals such as the birds and squirrels were already up and about,not to mention that the sky was 100% clear of any clouds. It seemed that it was gonna be a nice day weather wise.

After everyone finally got up and got all of their camping supplies packed up just incase they needed them again,they were all ready to go as Patty stretched her arms out and stated "Alright everyone,it looks like it's gonna be a nice beautiful day,so let's get this show on the road." before Ed nodded his head and commanded Herman "Right indeed Patty,Herman lead the way." to which Herman started sniffing the air for a few moments since he was clearly trying to get a whiff of the rest stop.

After a few more moments of this,Herman seemed to have finally gotten a scent of something as he stopped sniffing the air and pointed his paw west of the rock to which Ed exclaimed with a smug smile "See? Herman's nose can find just about anything!" bedore Rebecca replied in excitement "Alright,next stop,Sparkyville!" to which they all cheered in excitement and followed Ed and Herman's lead,their second and last hike had finally begun.

*3 hours later*

 **Rebecca:** _I want to break every rule and cross every line. Woo-hoo! I wanna show all the stars how stars oughta shine. I wanna do as I please,and knock the world to its knees and go wherever the breeze is going._

 _Next stop anywhere. Got a whole wide world to see,nothing's stopping me._

 _Next stop anywhere. 'Cause there's so much waiting,I know it's waiting,I feel it waiting out there everywhere._

"Rebecca,wait up!" Charlie Brown suddenly called out to Rebecca as he and the others had finally caught up to her after she ran off to explore more of the forest before Linus continued nearly out of breath "Oh man do you have any idea how hard it is keeping up with you out here?"

"Come on you guys,it's my first trip outside of the orphanage. It's like a whole new chapter of my life has just begun!" Rebecca ecstatically replied due to how excited she was as Scheroder couldn't help but agree "Uh that's kinda what I was thinking too."

"I mean,aren't you guys excited to see where Ed and Herman are taking us?" Rebecca asked the others for their thoughts on Ed and Herman leading the way to the rest stop as Lucy sarcastically replied "Well,uh,let's see,excited? To follow a hermit and a wolf out to who knows where?" to which Rebecca sighed and Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and replied with a smile "Of course,we're excited,we're with you. What else could we be?" before Snoopy,the others and even Lucy gave Rebecca a smile.

 **Charlie Brown:** _We're gonna toss out the maps and follow the sun._

 **Rebecca:** _We're gonna place our own path and go on the run._

 **Linus:** _We're gonna get out and do what nobody's done._

 **Rebecca:** _There's so much out there to do we've barely begun._

 **Scheroder:** _We're gonna take every dare._

 **Everyone:** _And feel the wind in our hair. With no one telling us where we're going._

 _Next stop anywhere. If you're there I'm gonna be where I wanna be._

 _Next stop anywhere. And the world is calling,it keeps on calling,just think of all that we'll share everywhere._

"Guys! Fellers! You-hoo!" The voice of Ed suddenly called out to everyone from up ahead as they all rejoined him and Herman before he rolled his eyes and requested "Do me a favor and try not to run off like that. Not that I don't think y'all can't handle yourselves,but I promised Rebecca back at the orphanage that I'd keep her safe,and I'd hate to lose all of y'all less than a day on the road."

"Relax Ed,we'll be fine." Rebecca confidently tried to reassure Ed that they could handle themselves as Ed chuckled and replied "Sure you can. You all got to exercise some kind of caution out here,I had to learn that the hard way when I first started living here in these kind of places. Trust me,the world of the wilderness isn't all fun and games you know." before Snoopy suddenly pounced on Lucy and kissed her right on the nose.

"I am so glad we decided to bring you along." Lucy sarcastically growled nearly on the verge of slugging the dog as Patty on the other hand disagreed and retorted "Oh come on Lucille let's just try and have some fun on this big ole trip of ours,which I'm guessing is a new thing for you." before Rebecca cheerfully suggested "Come on everyone,it's my first big trip outside of the orphanage,you heard her Lucy,this is gonna be fun." to which she rolled her eyes and reluctantly obliged while she got off of the ground "Oh Alright."

 **Lucy:** _Next stop anywhere! Got a feeling things'll be happening suddenly._

 **Rebecca:** _Next stop anywhere! Gonna chase my destiny,find the best in me._

 **Snoopy's Thoughts:** _Next stop anywhere! 'Cause it's time we went to be where we're meant to be._

 **Everyone:** _Next stop anywhere!_

 **Patty:** _And the world is waiting._

 **Linus:** _I feel it waiting._

 **Rebecca:** _It's all just waiting out there._

 **Charlie Brown And Rebecca:** _Everywhere!_

 **Boys:** _Everywhere!_

 **Girls:** _Everywhere!_

" **Next Stop Anywhere" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records.**


	14. Chapter 14: Up In The Air

Chapter 14: Up In The Air

For a good few minutes everyone thought they had hit rock bottom,thanks to Charlie Brown and Rebecca accidentally losing the map and the compass in the storm due to a mudslide,they all thought they were hopelessly stranded out in the woods with no way of ever getting home. However it seemed that Ed was more than willing to be their guardian angel since he and Herman would use their witt,survival skills and the later's sense of smell to try and get them back to the rest stop in no time.

It was around noon,about 5 hours since they first started their second hike and the sun was hanging directly above the travelers in the still completely clear sky. So as they could imagine,it was starting to get pretty hot and humid as Lucy groaned and asked "How long have we been out here? I feel like I'm on the verge of melting." to which Ed replied in his standard enthusiastic voice "Well if my memory serves right miss,about 5 hours."

"5 hours?! Oh good grief." Lucy exclaimed in utter shock that they had been out there for so long as Scheroder sighed and respectfully asked "Ed I don't mean to question or butt in on your navigation skills,but are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Of course I am boy. I am many things,but a liar I am not." Ed confidently turned around and retorted as Herman continued to follow the trail before Charlie Brown tried to lighten up the mood and suggested "So uh,I Spy?" to which Marcie politely interjected "There's nothing to really spy out here Charles,it's just trees,rocks and grasslands."

"Well there's gotta be something we can do to pass the time." Patty stated in an attempt to find some way to make their hike a little less monotonous before Linus suddenly chuckled and remarked "Rebecca I think Snoopy likes you." to which the whole group turned around to see that Snoopy was laying on top of Rebecca's head while Amy,Woodstock and Jasper merely laid on his back.

"I think he does too. What a loveable sweetheart he is." Rebecca sighed and agreed with Linus's assumption as she scratched the dog's hanging ear before Lucy scoffed and retorted "Oh yeah well wait until you have to start living around him every day,then you'll be singing a different tune."

"You know speaking of which,if we can get you a house near us in town,maybe he'd be alright for some play dates. That is if Rerun isn't busy hogging him." Charlie Brown suddenly perked up and suggested as Rebecca grew a faint smile and supported the idea "Actually I'd love that idea,if it's alright with the Snoopster of course. But uh,who's Rerun?"

"He's me and Lucy's younger brother." Linus nonchalantly explained who Rerun was to Rebecca before Lucy nodded her head and continued "He insisted that he come along with us when he found out what we were doing,but we told him that it was too dangerous since we'd be out in the woods." to which Linus finally concluded their explanation "So in order to make sure he wouldn't be alone all by himself,we decided to write a letter and invite one of Snoopy's brothers over for his company,Spike. He should have gotten there sometime after we left."

"Aww that was really sweet of ya'll to think of your brother like that. So I take it Snoopy's not an only pup then?" Rebecca smiled and complimented the two Van Pelt siblings for looking out for their younger brother which resulted in Linus blushing a little before Charlie Brown clarified things more specifically "Yeah he's got a lot of siblings actually,7 to be precise. There's Spike out in California,Olaf and Andy,Marbles,Belle out in Kansas,and lastly Rover and Molly."

"Wow,do you think I could ever meet them?" Rebecca softly gasped in awe of how many siblings Snoopy had as Sally smiled and retorted "Yes you can,cause we invited them all to the fireworks show ahead of time." before Scheroder nodded his head and added "Yeah everyone we know is gonna be there,there's gonna be music,games,food,and even a large swimming pool."

"Oh that sounds so cool,I can't wait to meet everyone." Rebecca gasped once again and exclaimed in utter excitement as Patty retorted in a more serious tone of voice than usual "Yeah but the first thing we gotta do now is get back to the rest stop,we have to be getting close." before Herman suddenly perked up and started frantically sniffing the ground.

Everyone's attention was now fully directed onto the wolf as Ed leaned down and ecstatically asked "What is it boy? What do you smell?" to which the wolf barked something out loud for everyone to hear before Rebecca suddenly remarked in excitement "He says the rest stop is just up ahead!" to which Lucy gave a huge sigh of relief and replied "Oh finally,it's about time."

"Well come on let's go already,there's a nice comfy car seat with some back seat AC with my name written on it!" Patty jumped up in the air and ecstatically suggested as everyone cheered in excitement,Snoopy jumped off of Rebecca's head and they all proceeded to sprint after Herman.

* * *

Due to their now heightened sense of adrenaline and excitement,it only took them about a minute to finally reach the concrete stairs that would lead back up to the highway and rest stop as they all stopped in their tracks and stared at the 10 feet long flight of stairs,and after everything they went through it was like staring at the stairway that would lead into heaven. After they all managed to catch their breath for a few more moments,Charlie Brown finally decided to speak up as he grew a wide smile and exclaimed "Come on everyone,let's go home." to which Lucy nodded her head and replied "Yeah let's go already."

"You ready Rebecca?" Marcie turned around and happily asked the soon to be un-orphaned girl as she looked right up at the stairs and the brick wall they were attached to before she smiled once more and replied "I'm ready everyone,I'm ready to put this life behind me forever and start a new one. Not as an orphan,but as a friend." to which she started to climb up the stairs with everyone else following shortly after.

However once they finally reached the top of the stairs and were finally back on the highway once again,Charlie Brown and the others who had came out here in the first place would immediately know that something was wrong as he developed a nervous frown and stammered "Ed,I don't think this is our rest stop." to which Linus added "Yeah this is definitely not where we are supposed to be."

Instead of there being an old fanshoined diner and a country store standing across the road from each other,there was instead only a small hotel under what appeared to be a huge mountain cliff that people could use an elevator of some sort to go up. This was definitely not the same rest stop they went to in Bakersfield as Sally stated in a surprisingly calm voice given their situation "Ed I'm really starting to question your navigation skills." before the boy retorted in confusion "What are y'all talking about? I got y'all to the rest stop didn't I?" to which Patty replied in a much more frustrated sounding tone "Because we're supposed to be in Bakersfield,not whatever this place is."

"Ohhhhhh,Bakersfield. Mmm,yeah maybe I should have told you to be a lot more specific." Ed's eyes widened and he replied with a very nervous looking grin on his face as Lucy grabbed him by the collar angrily retorted "Oh good grief,I'm this close to knocking the rest of those teeth out of your mouth." before Linus thankfully interrupted their dispute and stated "Hey hold on a second everyone,at least we're finally back on the highway. And look we're still at another rest stop,so at the very least why don't we get some directions and continue on from here?" to which Lucy reluctantly let go of Ed and let him crawl away in fear.

"Gee I'm sorry fellers." Ed sighed and apologized for his screw up with a guilt filled frown as Marcie decided to loosen up on the kid "Hey it's alright Ed,but you really should have told us to be more specific from the start. Who knows how far we could be from our stop by now?" to which Rebecca enthusiastically replied while she begun to head across the street to the hotel "Well let's go and find out guys. Besides how far could we be anyway?"

* * *

"20 miles?!" The entire gang shouted in utter shock when they heard from the boy running the hotel's front desk how far they were from Bakersfield as Scheroder added equally as surprised "We hiked all this way just to find out we were heading away from there?!" to which Ed got deeply red in the face and stammered out of an attempt to defend himself "Don't blame me,blame the wolf,he's the one who did the sniffing!"

"Oh we're blaming someone alright,we're blaming the both of you!" Patty angrily retorted as she started to crack her fists along with Lucy while Ed nervously whimpered "Mamma,help me." before Charlie Brown tried to intervene "We're not slugging Ed alright? Yes he messed up,but we also messed up for not even thinking about telling him exactly where we needed to be going. It's all our faults here." to which Lucy and Patty reluctantly held themselves back,but not without giving Ed the evil eye.

"What are we gonna do big brother?" Sally nervously asked Charlie Brown on how they were gonna make it back to their rest stop as the boy sighed and somberly replied "Honestly Sally,I don't know myself. Without a car to use who knows how long it will take for all of us to walk 20 miles to get back there. If only there was a quicker way for us to get that far." before the boy running the front counter suddenly got an idea and suggested "Well I think I may got an idea here,but I don't know if you guys are gonna like it."

"What is it whatever your name is? If it means we can get back home quicker without having to resort to those two blockheads,I'll take it." Lucy asked out of curiosity as she not so subtly referred to Ed and Herman before the boy replied "Well the hotel here has a small little shop just around the corner,and I'm pretty sure that there are some hang gliders you all could buy."

"W-where are you going with this?" Charlie Brown gulped and nervously asked when he started to suspect what the boy was talking about as he retorted in confusion "Have y'all not seen the mountain cliff up there? You can easily use those hang gliders to fly down north until you reach Bakersfield. Easy." to which Charlie Brown started to shake out of nervousness before Patty enthusiastically remarked "Hey this sounds great."

* * *

Sometime later all the kids were way up at the top of the mountain that hung far above the current rest stop they were at,and they were all holding what appeared to be bright and colorful hang gliders they had bought at the hotel's small store,with the exception of Snoopy and Woodstock who instead had a small inflatable raft with a wind sail up top.

"Are you guys sure this is a good idea? I'm starting to think that maybe walking doesn't sound so bad after all." Charlie Brown nervously asked the others as he looked down the edge of the cliff and saw nothing but thin clouds down below before Rebecca respectfully disagreed with the boy "It seems fine to me Charlie Brown,with these hang gliders we can easily make it to Bakersfield by sundown." to which Patty enthusiastically added "Yeah lighten up Chuck,besides this is our first time hangliding at all,this is gonna be loads of fun."

"Whatever you say Patty,it's just that we're really high up." Charlie Brown once again stated in a very nervous tone of voice as Sally sternly retorted "You know if you wanna stay up here and not join us big brother,fine,but don't be surprised when we end up having to come get you." before Snoopy and Woodstock suddenly darted off the cliff with their raft.

"Woah! Wait for me!" Lucy exclaimed in utter excitement as she ran right off the cliff and joined them up in the sky while Patty yelled before she ran off "Let's do this! Woo-hoo!" to which Scheroder calmly remarked while he glanced at his piano that was ducktaped to the top of his glider "Lets hope my piano comes out of this alive." before he jumped off the cliff as well.

However Marcie was quick to notice that Ed didn't seem to have a hang glider of his own as she asked in confusion "Ed are you not coming with us? Where's your gilder?" to which the boy explained himself with a smug grin "Oh I'm coming with y'all,I just have my own methods." before he let out a loud and high pitched whistle as what appeared to be a huge bald eagle quickly came flying by at lightning speed,much to the awe of the remaining group members.

"Woah! Ed that's amazing!" Linus exclaimed in bewilderment that Ed was gonna use the eagle as a glider as the boy happily replied while the eagle picked him and Herman up with it's claws "Hey,I told y'all there were some advantages to living out here! Hold on Herman,yee-haw!" before the eagle took off for it's flight,leaving only Linus,Sally,Marcie,Rebecca and Charlie Brown left.

"Well,here goes nothing." Linus sighed and enthusiastically whispered to himself before he ran off the cliff and joined the others as Sally ran after him with her glider and yelled "Wait for me sweetie!" before she jumped off the cliff and followed after him. Now all that were left were Charlie Brown and Rebecca as the former nervously asked while the latter was setting her glider up "Rebecca,are you sure you wanna do this? I just don't want you to get hurt here." before the girl turned around to face him and confidently replied "I'll be fine Charlie Brown,I promise,and just to make sure I will be fine you could always come with us." to which the boy politely declined "I'm good Rebecca,just make sure to have fun."

"I will. Amy,Jasper,hold on tight and prepare for a wild ride! Whoo-hoo!" Rebecca sighed and reassured Charlie Brown that she would have fun and be careful as the two animals tightly held onto the handle while Rebecca ran off the cliff and joined the others who were very close by in the sky.

 **Rebecca:** _Life's been so unsatisfying,look suddenly now I'm flying freewheeling from cloud to cloud to cloud. Wings spread and the sky below me,there's no one to stop or slow me,plus freedom and everything's allowed._

 _Down there,I know there's tons of burdens I must bear somewhere. But from up here,the world looks so small,and suddenly life seems so clear. And from up here,you coast past it all,the obstacles just disappear._

 _Never feel heavy or earthbound. No worries or doubts interfere. There's nothing but you looking down on the view from up here._

"Charlie Brown you have got to try this,this is so fun!" Rebecca yelled and suggested in utter excitement as she and the others flew back to the edge of the cliff where Charlie Brown still was before Patty laughed and added "Come on Chuck,just let the wind and the breeze take you wherever you want to go." to which Charlie Brown finally yet reluctantly decided to give it a try "Alright,I'll try."

 **Lucy:** _Stretch out with the wind behind you. (Here we go.)_

 **Sally:** _Float up let the current find you. (Look out below.)_

 **Marcie:** _Keep climbing and sail from breeze to breeze. (Stay close don't leave me please!)_

 **Scheroder:** _Head up to the stratosphere with only the stars to steer us just think of the possibilities. (I think I've got it.)_

 **Patty:** _Below,we spend our whole lives trudging to and fro. Now-_

 **Charlie Brown:** _Woah!_

 **Everyone:** _And from up here!_

 **Rebecca:** _The world looks so wide._

 **Snoopy's Thoughts:** _Yet every horizon seems near._

 **Everyone:** _And from up here._

 **Sally:** _No path is denied._

 **Lucy:** _You choose which direction you veer._

 **Linus:** _And suddenly you can breath easy._

 **Lucy:** _Contented._

 **Linus:** _Care free._

 **Lucy:** _Cavalier._

 **Everyone:** _Just gliding on through looking down at the view from up here._

Suddenly they all passed through a giant cloud that sported a massive double rainbow behind it that they rode and followed like a slide.

 _And from up here,the world is all yours,each mountain and meadow and mere. And from up here,life's duties and chores are barely worth shedding a tear._

 _And all of the sky lies before us,straight up to the far stratosphere,so head for the blue and lets take in the view from up here! It's just me and you looking down at the view from up here!_

"Hey,I think I'm starting to see Bakersfield!" Charlie Brown suddenly perked up and exclaimed when he could have sworn that he saw the rest stop down below as Sally squinted her eyes for a second before she opened them wide and backed her brother up "Yeah I see it too! It doesn't look too far at all!"

"You see Chuck,I knew this was a good idea!" Patty laughed and smugly remarked when she realized that this plan of theirs was a good idea after all as Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and finally admitted "Okay I admit,this idea doesn't seem so bad after all. Now all we gotta do is land these things-" before a huge gust of wind suddenly brushed past them and made Charlie Brown's glider start to act out of control.

"Woah!" Charlie Brown yelled in a panic as he frantically tried to regain control of his glider before another gust of wind ended up sending him downward at an incredible speed,and right before he knew it,his entire world went black.

" **The View From Up Here" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records**


	15. Chapter 15: Starry Night

Chapter 15: Starry Night

Charlie Brown had no idea what had happened when he previously went hang gliding with Rebecca and the others,all he really remembered of it was that they actually encouraged him to join them on the whole thing,and he had to admit that he was having quite some fun during it too. However it would unfortunately all come crashing down violently when a sudden gust of wind ended up bringing the boy down at an incredible speed with no way of him to regain his control,and just before he knew it,his whole world had went to black.

Sometime later he found himself to be slowly but surely waking up after that little accident of his,the first thing he instantly noticed was that he felt strangely warm in whatever place he was,and thinking he was merely back in the car with the others he asked in a very quiet and groggy tone of voice "Snoopy could you turn up the AC?" only to be met with no response at all,almost like no one could hear him.

It was then that Charlie Brown also noticed that he could hear the count of crickets chirping along with the hooting of an owl as he finally decided to open his eyes to see where he was,and it turned out that he was back in the woods in the dead of night next to a raging camp fire,and it seemed that everyone else except for Ed for some unknown reason was sitting around it and roasting some hot dogs with their hang gliders sitting aside.

"G-guys?" Charlie Brown muttered out of confusion of where exactly they were and the others were quick to notice this as Rebecca exclaimed in excitement "Hey he's awake!" to which Patty gave a huge sigh of relief and remarked "Gee you had us worried there Chuck,come over here and get yourself something to eat." before Snoopy ran up to his owner and gave him a huge hug out of relief that he was alright.

"H-hold on a second,why are we back in the woods? I thought we were heading back to Bakersfield?" Charlie Brown once again asked in confusion when he realized that they were still in the woods as Snoopy finally let go of him while Linus nonchalantly explained themselves "Well you ended up crashing down here by accident due to the wind,so we came down here to go ahead and set up camp and make sure you were alright." to which Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and groaned "What is it with me and getting knocked out during our trips recently? But what about Bakersfield,how far are we from there now?"

"Before we landed we got a good look at the place and it seems that it should only take a couple hours,so we should be heading home sometime tomorrow." Marcie calmly replied as she cleaned her glasses from some of the smoke coming from the fire to which the boy gave a sigh of relief and remarked "Well that's good at least. Where's Ed?" before Lucy bitterly retorted "We don't know where that so called travel guide went. Apparently he ended up getting swept away by the wind as well and that stupid eagle of his couldn't control itself."

"Oh man,I was hoping he could maybe come home with us for a while and meet some of the others." Charlie Brown groaned in disappointment when he found out that Ed and Herman were gone thanks to the wind while he scooted up closer to the fire and got himself a hot dog before Sally scoffed and retorted "Good riddance to him,it was thanks to him that we ended up getting lost out here." to which Patty strongly disagreed while she took a bite out of her hot dog "Hey I liked Ed,yeah he screwed up big time when he brought us to the wrong rest stop,but at least he was a little fun to be around. Plus I don't want him to miss the fireworks show too."

"Well at least he did say that he was thinking of at least stopping by,so let's hope he actually follows up on that." Scheroder sighed and remarked as he used his piano as a makeshift dinner table before Patty scoffed and suggested "You know what we need right here? Some darn optimism,how bout some nice campfire songs to lighten up our moods?" to which Scheroder instantly agreed with the idea while he sat aside his food "You don't even need to ask that Patty."

However before Scheroder could start playing Beethoven or even classic songs like She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain or Home On The Range,Charlie Brown suddenly interrupted the boy and politely suggested "You know Scheroder,why don't we let Rebecca have first go at a song?" to which the girl gasped in shock and started to blush as she frantically tried to decline "W-what? N-no you don't want me to start off,I'm terrible at singing."

"What? Are you kidding me Rebecca? You've been singing a lot on our trip and you sound like a Broadway Star. Almost as good as me." Lucy scoffed and fiercely disagreed with Rebecca's claim that she wasn't a good singer as Linus for once agreed with his sister "There are a lot of things I don't agree with Lucy with,but this ain't one of them Rebecca."

It was then that Rebecca's embarrassed and relatively shy look on her face started to fade away into a very faint smile as she timidly asked "D-do you guys really think that about me?" to which Sally nodded her head and replied "Of course we do,granted you're not as good as me but you're getting there. At least worth a silver medal." before Charlie Brown rolled his eyes due to Sally's egotism and tried to encourage Rebecca to sing something for them "It's alright Rebecca,just sing whatever comes to your mind."

It was now that everyone was staring at Rebecca in complete anticipation for whatever she would sing as Amy,Jasper and Woodstock sat on a nearby log,with the former and latter actually sitting next to each other like a couple,and Snoopy got into Rebecca's lap as she sighed and finally obliged "Alright guys. Well this isn't really a song,but more of a story my parents used to tell me at bedtime. It's one of the things I remember the most about them,and I was thinking of maybe turning it into a song."

 **Rebecca:** _Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's,the little old bird woman comes. In her own special way to the people she calls "Come buy my bags full of crumbs."_

 _Come feed the little birds,show them you care,and you'll be glad if you do. Their young ones are hungry,their nests are so bare,all it takes is tuppence from you._

It was now that Woodstock and Amy both started to fly away to opposite sides of the woods,almost like they both had a similar idea to each other although no one knew what it was.

 _Feed the birds,tuppence a bag,tuppence,tuppence,tuppence a bag. "Feed the birds",that's what she cries,while overhead,her birds fill the skies._

 _All around the cathedral the saints and apostles look down as she sells her wares,although you can't see it,you know they are smiling,each time someone shows that he cares._

 _Though her words are simple and few,listen,listen,she's calling to you,"Feed the birds tuppence a bag,tuppence,tuppence,tuppence a bag."_

It now seemed that Amy and Woodstock had finally made it back to the log and they both seemed to be carrying a flower in their mouths as they both dropped them in front of each other. It seemed that this was finally the breaking point for Amy as she suddenly lunged forward and gave Woodstock a big kiss on his beak as he turned bright pink and fell off the log with a loud thud while Amy laughed at the sight of it.

 _Though her words are words are simple and few,listen,listen,she's calling to you "Feed the birds tuppence a bag,tuppence,tuppence,tuppence a bag."_

After Rebecca's song seemed to have finally come to a close,everyone was left in complete awe and bewilderment of what had just happened as Charlie Brown's jaw hung open and even Lucy and Sally had small tears welling up in their eyes. Snoopy then got farther up into Rebecca's lap as he kissed her right on the cheek before Linus finally muttered out "R-Rebecca,that was amazing." to which she blushed and tried to brush it aside "What? No it wasn't."

"You're lying to yourself and you know that,truly great music like that is when your heart and mind come together like this." Scheroder politely disagreed with Rebecca's attempt to make her song seem less good then it really was as she sighed and retorted "I mean,I just sung whatever came to my mind. I never really thought up of anything,it just sort of came to me." to which Patty chuckled and decided to move things along "Well that was certainly was a great start to our campfire jamboree,who's up next?"

* * *

Sometime later after they had all sung/played a song they wanted,almost everyone had since hit the hay and gone to bed to prepare for their last day of the hike tomorrow. All they had to do was walk north for a couple hours and soon enough they would finally have made it back to the rest stop,the right one this time.

Charlie Brown was just about to crawl into his sleeping bag and head off to sleep like the others had did before he suddenly heard the voice of Rebecca quietly call out to him "Hey Charlie Brown?" to which he turned around to see that Rebecca was holding her hang glider in hand as he replied in confusion "R-Rebecca why are you still up,and why do you still have the hang glider?"

"I'll explain it to you in a minute,come on follow me." Rebecca declined to answer and instead insisted that Charlie Brown follow her as she darted off into the woods with the glider before Charlie Brown got up and reluctantly followed her. "Rebecca wait up!" He frantically called out to her as he desperately tried to keep up with her in the forest before he eventually reached what seemed to be the edge of another mountain cliff,although be it nowhere near as big or tall as the other one,and Rebecca seemed to be standing at the very edge of it and looking off into the horizon as Charlie Brown ran up to her and asked nearly out of breath "There you are,what are you doing out here? Why do you still got the glider?"

Afterwards Rebecca quickly turned around with a wide and ecstatic smile on her face as she suddenly suggested "Charlie Brown,we have got to go hang gliding again." before the boy's eyes widened and asked out of shock "Wait are you serious here?" to which Rebecca tried to persuade him to go along with the idea "Oh come on Charlie Brown,this is a once in a lifetime opportunity here,the full moon and the stars are out,you can see a river all the way from up here,and it's just beautiful. Plus the wind doesn't seem to be too strong so we can easily control ourselves this time,and maybe get some me and you time."

"Me and you time?" Charlie Brown asked in confusion on what she meant by that as Rebecca tried to explain herself "I mean,I really love Lucy and the others but,I was just thinking of trying to do something with just the two of us. You know like the good ole days?" to which Charlie Brown sighed and reluctantly obliged with a smile "Alright Rebecca,but we gotta be careful here,I'm still a little sore from my fall from earlier."

After Charlie Brown and Rebecca managed to hook themselves up to the glider and get themselves ready,they were just about to take off before Rebecca suddenly sighed and stated "I don't think I got the chance to tell you this,but thanks for getting me out of there and helping me see things straight. I was just scared to think of what would happen if my mother found out I left,but the thing is,I'm not scared anymore,you know what I mean?" to which Charlie Brown smiled and replied "I do. Come on let's go."

"Right." Rebecca nodded her head and retorted with a determined look on her face as Charlie Brown counted down "1,2-" before being suddenly interrupted by Rebecca as she ran forward and shouted "3!" before they both jumped off the cliff and were once again touching the sky.

"Woo-hoo! Oh just feel that nighttime breeze,doesn't it feel great?!" Rebecca happily yelled and asked as she felt the cool and soothing breeze brush across her to which Charlie Brown chuckled and agreed "Yeah it does feel nice. Come on let's do some exploring." before they headed downward this time of their own free will.

 **Charlie Brown:** _I can show you the world. Shining,shimmering,splendid,tell me princess now when did you last let your heart decide?_ _I can open your eyes. Take you wonder by wonder,over sideways and under on a magic joy ride._

 _A whole new world,a new fantastic point of view,no one to tell us no,or where to go,or say we're only dreaming._

 **Rebecca:** _A whole new world. A dazzling place I never knew,but when I'm way up here,it's crystal clear,that now I'm in a whole new world with you._

 **Charlie Brown:** _Now I'm in a whole new world with you._

Suddenly they came across a field of blue flowers with fireflies rising out of them.

 **Rebecca:** _Unbelievable sights. Indescribable feeling,soaring,tumbling,freewheeling through an endless diamond sky._

 _A whole new world. (Don't you dare close your eyes.) A hundred thousand things to see. (Hold your breath it gets better.) I'm like a shooting star,I've come so far,I can't go back to where I used to be._

 **Charlie Brown:** _A whole new world. (Every turn a surprise.) With new horizons (every moment red letter) to pursue._

 **Both:** _I'll chase them anywhere,there's time to spare,let me share this whole new world with you._

 **Charlie Brown:** _A whole new world._

 **Rebecca:** _A whole new world._

 **Charlie Brown:** _That's where we'll be._

 **Rebecca:** _That's where we'll be._

 **Charlie Brown:** _A thrilling chase._

 **Rebecca:** _A wondrous place._

 **Both:** _For you and me._

* * *

It was truly a magical night for Charlie Brown and Rebecca,the feeling of being able to take off on a hang glider together and freely explore the forest was something that they would never forget or trade for anything else in the world. Not to mention that it reminded them both of the times they would play with each other gleefully when they were much younger,and back when Rebecca was still around in Sparkyville with her family.

When they eventually decided that they had quite enough for the night,they headed back to the edge of the cliff where they had taken off as Rebecca happily remarked while she just unstrapped herself "That. Was. Amazing! I can't believe we did all that by ourselves,flying past and through a waterfall,catching the fireflies,and coming across all those wild horses. Didn't you have fun?" to which Charlie Brown gleefully smiled and stammered "I…..had a lot of fun too Rebecca. I'm….glad we actually got some alone time between us-" before being suddenly and swiftly interrupted when Rebecca gave him a kiss on the cheek,making him blush intensely as his eyes widened and Rebecca smiled to herself.

"Oh,um….wow. I'm gonna head on back to camp and….get some rest." Charlie Brown nervously smiled and stated as Rebecca playfully pinched him on the cheek and replied "Alright you sleepyhead,I won't be long. And hey,would you mind keeping this between the two of us?" to which Charlie Brown chuckled and reassured her as he begun to walk back to camp "Sure thing Rebecca,my lips are sealed."

Once Charlie Brown completely left the mountain side and it was just Rebecca completely alone by herself,she ultimately sighed to herself out of what seemed to be satisfaction as she begun to head on back to camp herself,however she wouldn't be able to walk 10 steps forward before she heard a shrill,cold and worst of all familiar voice call out from nearby "Oh my dear Rebecca,what on earth are you doing all the way out here?"

Instantly Rebecca felt her blood turn cold and her skin turn ghost white immediately after hearing that,there was no one this could have actually been her considering everything she had done to get away from her,but she knew she had to see if this was real as she mustered up all her inner courage and practically forced herself to turn around and face whoever this was as the voice continued while the entity revealed herself "I've searched and searched all over for you,and finally a mother and daughter together again."

"M…...mother?" Rebecca stammered out in a mixture of fear,confusion and bewilderment as she stared right at her adoptive mother who had someone found her before the woman continued "Oh I can't believe these ruffians have gone so far as to kidnap you sweetie. I was beginning to worry I'd never see you again." to which Rebecca who's breathing was starting to intensify asked in confusion "Wait? How did you find me all the way out here."

"Simple my dear." Mrs Hampton devilishly chuckled to herself as she pulled out a small,black and square shaped box and pressed a big red button on the middle of it before a faint beeping could be heard from Rebecca,and that was all she needed to know to realize what her mother had done as she softly gasped and asked just to be sure "You hid a tracker on me?"

"Well why do you think I've been so comfortable leaving you home alone all the time?" Mrs Hampton scoffed at Rebecca's dumbfoundedness and explained herself before she grabbed the girl by the arm and suggested in a much more stern voice "Now lets go home." to which Rebecca quickly broke free and declined "No mother,you don't understand. I wasn't kidnapped,I came out here by myself. The boy who was just with me,that was Charlie Brown the person I was telling you about,he remembered me after all these years and came out with his friends and dog to get me a new home in Sparkyville and…..I think they like me."

"Like you? Please Rebecca that's demented." Mrs Hampton on the other hand disagreed with Rebecca's assumption with a large and manipulative looking smile.

 **Mrs Hampton:** _This is why you never should have left,dear this whole friendship that you've invented just proves you're too naive to be here._

 _Why would they like you come on now really? Look at you,you think that they're impressed? Don't be a dummy,come with mummy,mother-_

"No!" Rebecca suddenly shouted and declined to go back home with her mother as the woman replied with a practically sadistic and twisted smile "No? Ohh,I see how it is." to which Rebecca started to develop a nervous frown.

 _Rebecca knows best,Rebecca's so mature now,such a clever grown up miss. Rebecca knows best,fine if you're so sure now,go ahead and give them this._

"What is-"

 _Ha! This is why they're here,don't let them deceive you,give it to them watch you'll see!_

"I will!"

 _Trust me my dear,that's how fast they'll leave you,I won't say I told you so! No Rebecca knows best,so if they're such dream boats,go and put them to the test!_

"Mother wait!"

 _If they're lying don't come crying,mother knows best!_

And just before Rebecca knew it,Mrs Hampton was suddenly gone with the wind and in her place lay a small,folded up piece of paper as Rebecca slowly picked it up to examine. But before she could properly open it and see what it was,she ultimately decided to wait until later to see it as she headed on back to camp.

" **Feed The Birds" "A Whole New World" and "Mother Knows Best Reprise" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records**


	16. Chapter 16: Of Caves And Crystals

Chapter 16: Of Caves And Crystals

 **Author's Note: Believe it or not,this was my first time ever writing a major dance scene into one of my stories,just felt like pointing that out ahead of time because there's a wild one in this chapter.**

Rebecca had no possible idea of what to think after what had just happened to her,she had to have been dreaming and just fell asleep after she and Charlie Brown got back from their little hang gliding joy ride. But the more and more she really thought about it and the more she continued to pinch herself just to be sure if she was dreaming or not,she eventually came to the realization that this was real.

Once she made it back to camp and saw that everyone else had since fallen asleep,with Woodstock and Amy sleeping together in a small nest in one of the nearby trees,Rebecca ultimately decided to head on to sleep as well as she quietly snuck into her sleeping bag. However just before she closed her eyes for the night,she felt this strange and almost forceful urge inside her to look at the piece of paper her mother had given her as she slowly took it out from her pocket and opened it up to be met with a strange sight,it was a flyer for sending lost kids without homes to orphanages,ultimately one of the things Charlie Brown brought along for the trip.

The next morning came by pretty quickly as they were all hoping and expecting,today was the day where they were finally going home to Sparkyville after their long and exhausting trip,not to mention that they were practically guaranteed to be at the right rest stop this time.

The gang was slowly yet optimistically walking through the forest and it was once again shaping up to be a beautiful day like the one before,although they were likely gonna be nice and cool back in the car later on and not walking out in the bare heat all day. Sally and Lucy were especially happy to be so close to getting to the rest stop as the former gleefully skipped through the woods and exclaimed "Can you believe this everyone? In just a little bit we'll finally be on our way home!" before Lucy nodded her head and added "As soon as we get back I'm heading to the pool,I could use a nice summer tan."

"Well you better make room for some of us because I may dive right in too." Patty laughed and cheerfully retorted as Marcie sighed and calmly joined in the conversation "I may just head over to the library and catch up on some of the books I've been wanting to read."

"Really Marcie?" Scheroder asked in awe that Marcie wanted to spend her summer reading more books as Linus respectfully added "I mean I appreciate the art and pastime of reading myself,but why don't you save some of that for when school starts back?" to which Marcie retorted "We still have the whole month of July and half of August left,I think I can work some of everything into my schedule."

However Charlie Brown would suddenly notice that Rebecca didn't seem to be talking as much as she usually did and that she was slowly lagging behind the others and looking down at her feet as he turned around and asked out of concern "Rebecca are you alright?" before the girl lifted her head up and replied "Huh?" to which Charlie Brown continued "You haven't said a word all morning,something on your mind?"

"Oh,it's nothing. I'm just really excited about finding my new home…..wherever it may be." Rebecca sighed and stated with a fake yet relatively convincing smile as Charlie Brown seemed to fall for it and replied "Well that's good. You know speaking of which,anyone got any ideas for where to start looking when we get back to Sparkyville?" to which Lucy scoffed and retorted "That's your problem there Charlie Brown,I got my hands full with my own plans." while Marcie brushed Lucy's reluctance to help aside and stated "Well I saw something about a couple looking for a kid to adopt on our side of town,maybe we could start there?"

"You know that ain't too bad of an idea,is that alright with you Rebecca?" Patty seemed to already agree with the idea and asked Rebecca for her stance on it as she shrugged her arms and replied "Hey if it means I'm still in Sparkyville,I'll take anyone." to which Linus turned around and stated in an authoritative tone of voice "Alright so it's settled. We'll start off on Patty and Marcie's side of town whenever we make it back,but first thing's first is to finally finish this hike of ours."

"Uh and how do you suppose we do that?" Scheroder suddenly asked in disbelief for some unknown reason as Linus replied in confusion while he turned back around "What do you mean by that-" but stopped abruptly when he and the others were greeted by what appeared to be a large and completely pitch black cave standing in their way,and surrounding the cave were what appeared to be multiple rocks that looked impossible for them to climb up due to the way they were designed,and to make things even worse they were blocking any other way forward,they were stuck.

"Ohhhhhhh nooooooo." Linus nervously remarked at the sight of the darkness inside the cave as Snoopy and the other animals hid behind Charlie Brown in fear while Sally cuddled up with Linus much to his annoyance before Marcie sighed and calmly stated "I think this may be that rock in a hard place I was talking about." to which Rebecca nervously asked "What are we gonna do guys? Are we stuck?"

"Of course we aren't,we just gotta head through that cave and move on from there." Patty nonchalantly retorted in a determined and heroic sounding voice as Lucy briefly laughed and disagreed with the idea "Wait are you serious about going in there? I can barely see a thing in there,what if there are bears or bats in there." to which the tomboy persisted that they go along with the idea "Oh come on,the only animals we've seen on this whole trip have been Rebecca's friends and Ed's wolf,I don't think we'll find anymore in this cave."

It was then that Linus suddenly decided to speak up and give his own thoughts on the situation as he sighed and stammered "Lucy I…..I'm starting to think that this may be our only option here." to which Sally instantly agreed with the boy on the basis that this opinion came from him "Yeah Lucy,this is our only option and we're going through that cave!"

However Lucy on the other hand was still not convinced to go along with the plan as she retorted while she begun to walk away from the cave "Oh we do have another option,and it's called turning around!" before Charlie Brown suddenly interjected and asked "But what if turning around results in us getting lost again or taking longer to get back home?" to which Lucy stopped in her tracks and merely did nothing while Charlie Brown continued "Look I know the cave looks dangerous,but I got us some flashlights,matches and some lanterns from the store just in case we needed them,and it looks like we do. This really is our only option here Lucy,so let's just get it out of the way already?"

It was then that Lucy finally turned around and marched straight towards Charlie Brown with a stern look on her face as the boy began to nervously sweat out of fear of getting slugged,and when Lucy finally was finally up in his face,she squinted her eyes and pointed to the cave as she stated "If we get lost in there or have to become cavemen for the rest of our lives because of you." before she made a slitting motion across her throat to which Charlie Brown gulped and nervously replied "I understand that Lucy." Afterwards Lucy brushed right past him and marched head on into the cave as Charlie Brown regained his posture and took out 10 lanterns from their supply backpack,one for each of them. He handed one lantern to each of them including Snoopy before they slowly and cautiously headed into the cave.

* * *

Now that they were all inside and were able to see through the near blinding darkness of the cave,they were able to see that it looked entirely uninhabited for as long as it had been standing,there weren't any bones or skeletons left behind by victims of mauling or starvation,and there weren't even any bats hiding up on the ceiling like Lucy was suspecting. It was just your average,run of the mill empty cave as Patty smugly remarked "See Lucille? There's nothing in here at all,it's just us and the nice cool air." to which Lucy folded her arms and reluctantly admitted in a bitter tone of voice "Alright,I suppose it's a little safer than I thought-" before she suddenly felt something briefly grab her legs as she stopped her rambling and screamed loud enough to likely echo all through the cave,only for that fear of hers to quickly turn into boiling anger when she and the others all heard the familiar laugh of Snoopy's as it turned out it was a prank done by him.

The beagle was absolutely having a laugh riot as he was wheezing and rolling on the ground unable to control himself while Amy,Jasper and Woodstock quickly joined in before Lucy started breathing heavily out of her own anger and was just about to let loose her inner fury that no one ever thought possible before they all heard another familiar voice echo from up ahead in the cave as the animals all stopped their giggling and listened in "Hey? Who's up there?"

Almost immediately Charlie Brown was quick to recognize the voice as none other than their lost friend Ed as his eyes widened out of shock and called out "Ed?! Is that you?!" to which the boy instantly retorted in awe "Well I'll be,this is the third time I've run into y'all! I'll be over there in a second!"

"Ed what are you doing out here,I thought you got lost when we were hang gliding due to the wind?" Rebecca called out and asked in confusion when she remembered what had happened to Ed as Patty added equally as confused "Yeah for how big that eagle of yours was he sure couldn't control himself."

"Um it's a she,thank you very much. And don't underestimate powerful wind speeds or it will bite you in the behind." Ed sighed and calmly corrected Patty for getting his eagle friend's gender wrong as another faint light could be seen slowly approaching the kids up ahead,only this one was bright red instead of bright yellow like their lanterns.

"Hey I think I see you,we're over here!" Linus called out to Ed and waved his hand as a signal of where they were when he and the others saw the other light as Ed stayed silent for a few moments before he called out to them "Yeah I see you fellers,come on guys we're almost out." before Scheroder asked in confusion "Wait Ed are you not alone?"

"Well,it's complicated." Ed nervously chuckled and tried to explain himself as he had finally made it over to Charlie Brown's group,and it seemed that he was using some kind of hiking stick with a small red lantern tied to the top of it,and like Scheroder was suspecting,he was indeed not alone.

Aside from Herman accompanying him like he usually did,there were also what appeared to be multiple young boys wearing what appeared to be clothes similar to Ed's despite them being much cleaner and neater than his,and they were also carrying lanterns of their own as well. Ed was just about to greet the kids again after being separated from them for the night before Rebecca suddenly gave him a big hug and happily greeted him "Ed! Oh I'm so glad you're alright!" as the rest of the kids happily greeted him in unison and over each other. Ed however was incredibly stunned and shocked due to Rebecca's sudden hug as he got a little red in the face and nervously greeted them back "I-it's nice to see y'all again too." before he regained his more normal attitude and continued while Rebecca let go of him "Well um,back to what I was saying before. The reason I'm out in this cave is that I was on my way trying to find you fellers after our little…..accident,when I suddenly came across these lost lamplighters,apparently they're hiking out to a small camp in these woods where they're gonna be installing some lamp lights to make exploring the forest at night easier,so I decided to be their temporary guide and help them get them through the woods. So what are y'all doing out in this cave?"

"Oh so that explains it,well apparently our rest stop is just up ahead,but we gotta get through this cave first." Charlie Brown replied and explained their situation to Ed and the lamplighters as he dimmed the light on his lantern so it wouldn't be so bright before Linus nodded his head and backed the boy up "Yeah this cave was right in our way and we had no other option here." to which Lucy sighed and crabbily added "All I hope is that it doesn't take too long for us to get out of here,now if you excuse us we'll be on our way-"

"Oh it ain't gonna be easy getting out of here fellers." Ed suddenly interrupted the girl and stated in a regretful tone of voice as the kids gasped out of shock and Sally fearfully asked "What do you mean it won't be easy getting out of here?!" before Ed nonchalantly explained himself "Well the thing is this cave is a bit of a topsy turvy maze,ended up getting lost here with these fellers quite a number of times." to which Lucy groaned and exclaimed in frustration "I knew that going through this cave was a bad idea! Come on let's just turn around and-"

"But! There's a big but right here!" Ed once again interrupted Lucy in a stern voice before he continued "I now know this cave inside and out,so why don't I become your travel guide once again and help y'all reach the exit? That okay with you lamplighters?" to which the lamplighters gave off various responses that basically amounted to them agreeing with the idea before Charlie Brown turned around to his group and asked "I guess I'm alright with it,what about y'all?"

"Whatever,just get me out of this place." Lucy rolled her eyes and reluctantly decided to go along with the plan as Linus and Scheroder nodded their heads before Marcie calmly remarked "I'd take Ed's help any day before getting lost in here." to which Sally finally obliged "Alright,but you better not get us lost this time!"

"Cross my heart,and hope to die." Ed respectfully reassured Sally that he and Herman wouldn't get them lost again as he made a cross motion across his chest before Patty enthusiastically exclaimed "Alright,Ed lead the way." to which Ed chuckled and replied "It'll be my pleasure Patty."

 **Ed:** _Let's say you're lost in a park sure,you can give in to the dark or,you can trip a little light fantastic with me. When you're alone in your room,your choices just embrace the gloom or you can trip a little light fantastic with me._

 _For if you hide under the covers you might never see the day,but if a spark can start inside your head then you can always find the way. So when life is getting dreary,just pretend that you're a leerie as you trip a little light fantastic with me._

"What's a leerie?" Charlie Brown asked in confusion on what the term meant as Ed shrugged his arms and replied "Why it's what the lamplighters call themselves of course. Time to send out the call to arms,leeries,trip the lights and lead the way!" before the lamplighters turned around,turned up the brightness on their lanterns and marched forward while the others followed.

 _Now when you're stuck in the mist sure you can struggle and resist or you can trip a little light fantastic with me. Now say you're lost in the crowd well you can stamp and scream out loud or you can trip a little light fantastic with me._

 _And when the fog comes rolling in just keep your feet upon the path,mustn't mope and frown or worst lie down don't let it be your epitaph. So when life is getting scary be your own illuminary who can shine the light for all the world to see,as you trip a little light fantastic with me._

 _A leerie loves the edge of night,though dim to him the world looks bright,he's got the gift of second sight._

 **Lamplighters:** _To trip a little light fantastic!_

 **Ed:** _A leerie's job is to light the way._

 **Lamplighters:** _To tame the night and make it day!_

 **Ed:** _They mimic the moon,yes that's their aim._

 **Lamplighters:** _For we're the keepers of the flame!_

 **Ed:** _And if you're deep inside the tunnel when there is no end in sight,well just carry on until the dawn it's darkest right before the light._

Suddenly all the kids felt themselves slip off their own feet and go down what appeared to be a long slide that led deeper into the cave as they all screamed in a mixture of fear and excitement while Ed and the lamplighters took a previously unseen different way around it.

 _As you trip a little light fantastic. Won't you trip a little light fantastic? Come on,trip a little light fantastic with me!_

Once the kids finally reached the end of the slide and were launched right off of it,they all lifted their heads up to see that they were in a circular looking part of the cave where multiple large crystals that were built into the walls were starting to light up one by one,each being a different color such as blue,red,pink,yellow,orange and much more. As they all got up and slowly regained their posture,they would all be startled when Ed and some of the lamplighters slid on by and held their hands out in front of them,with Ed being in front of Rebecca as he mouthed the word's "Join me." to which she slowly grabbed his hand and was immediately starting dancing with the boy.

"Woah!" Patty exclaimed in sheer awe of Ed's dancing skills as she grabbed one of the boy's hands and started dancing with him as well,and soon everyone including Charlie Brown was dancing intensely. Maybe it was the lighting of the crystals in the cave that made it almost look like a dance floor,but each and every one of them all felt this immense explosion of life in them as they all performed dance moves they never thought they could do along with their classic ones of course.

 **Lamplighters:** _Oy! Oy! Oy!_

It was an absolute dancing madhouse,Snoopy was pairing up with Marcie,Sally and Linus we're going at it,Woodstock had finally found someone to dance with now that he and Amy were a couple,Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown were performing the Safety Dance,Lucy and Scheroder were doing the tango despite the latter claiming once that musicians never danced,and even Jasper had managed to get in on the action since he was bobbing his head on top of Rebecca's shoulder while she danced with Ed.

However they would all be cut off and be allowed to catch their breath when one of the lamplighters came up to them and cheerfully suggested "Come along,join us in a bit of kick and prance." as Linus asked in confusion "What did he say?" to which Ed nonchalantly clarified things "Kick and prance,it means dance,it's leery's speak. You don't say the words you mean,you say something that rhymes only. Here I'll show y'all how it works,Angus give us your weeping whale,to the rest of ya that means tale."

 **Angus:** _I was short of a sheet._

 **Ed:** _It was in the street._

 **Angus:** _Just a tumble down a sink._

 **Ed:** _Just to get himself a drink._

 **Angus:** _Then I pinch what's fatter._

 **Ed:** _He grabbed his ladder._

 **Angus:** _He smiled and smirked._

 **Ed And Angus:** _To work._

"You see there's nothing to it." Ed remarked with a smug grin on his face as Sally asked out of curiosity "Can you speak leery Ed?" to which the boy scoffed in bewilderment "Can I speak leery? 'Course I can I just told y'all how it works." before Rebecca ecstatically pleaded "Can we do it with you? Please?"

"Ohh very well then. Fellers tell us your story tale." Ed reluctantly obliged to let them play along as the rest of the lamplighters shouted "Give us your weeping whale!" while Lucy frantically whispered "Quick make something up!"

 **Linus:** _Well,we had this bowl._

 **Ed:** _Rabbit in the hole._

 **Lucy:** _That fell and broke._

 **Ed:** _A bicycle spoke._

 **Sally:** _So we took it to a shop._

 **Ed:** _Like a lollipop._

 **Patty:** _And went upside down._

 **Ed:** _That's a circus clown._

 **Marcie:** _Then went to the bank._

 **Ed:** _Rattle and clank._

 **Scheroder:** _Got lost in the fog._

 **Ed:** _Lump on a log._

 **Charlie Brown:** _To be found a friend._

 **Ed:** _To stand and defend._

 **Rebecca:** _Who took us on a trip._

 **Ed:** _Snap a horse's whip._

 **Kids:** _And we trip a little light fantastic._

 **Boy:** _Now that sounds a little bit bombastic._

 **Ed:** _But they trip the light._

 **Kids:** _We trip the light._

 **Everyone:** _Let's trip a little light fantastic!_

It was now that a small dark area of the room was lit up with even more crystals to reveal another hidden pathway as the kids looked at each other and ran down the path to be met with another slide,they immediately wasted no time and one by one went down it with the exception of Charlie Brown who instead looked down the edge of it in uncertainty.

 **Ed And Lamplighters:** _Join us Charlie Brown!_

Suddenly Charlie Brown was pushed right down the slide by Ed and the lamplighters as they all ran up behind him and practically forced him to go down as he yelled in fear and excitement while Ed and his crew merely laughed with glee. This slide was even more crazy than the other one as they went through multiple loopty loops,a corkscrew,and even went past a wall filled with more crystals and they all lit up whenever they passed it,it was practically like a roller coaster .Once they all made it down the slide and rejoined the others while Charlie Brown was on the verge of throwing up,Ed suddenly ran forward and cheerfully exclaimed when he saw that the exit to the cave was just ahead and down one last slide "You've got it,now let's get you all back home!" before they all slowly marched towards the slide.

 **Everyone:** _Now if you're life is getting foggy,there's no reason to complain._

 **Ed:** _There's so much in store inside the door_

 **Everyone:** _of 17 Sparkyville lane!_

It was now that they all reached the final slide in the cave as all the kids along with the animals lined up for their chance to go down while the colors of the crystals in the cave were now more intense and vibrant than ever before.

 **Ed:** _So when troubles are incessant,simply be more incandescent,for your light comes with my lifetime guarantee._

 _As you._

 **Kids:** _Trip a little light fantastic!_

 **Ed:** _Won't you?_

 **Kids:** _Trip a little light fantastic!_

 **Ed:** _Come on!_

 **Everyone:** _Trip a little light fantastic._

And with one final push from Ed and the lamplighters they were all riding down the tallest and most crazy slide of them all while Ed and his group stayed behind.

 **Ed:** _With meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (Went to the bank,rattle and clank,bicycle spoke,took it to a shop,lost in the frog,lump on a log!_

 **Everyone:** _Trip a little light fantastic!_

And right before Charlie Brown and the others had even known it,they were finally free of the cave's infernal grasp as they were all launched right out of the exit like a cannonball from a cannon before they all landed on the ground with a loud thud,and just to make things even better,they were now closer to the rest stop than ever before.

* * *

"Is everyone okay?" Charlie Brown meekly asked in pain as he slowly dragged himself up from the dirt as Linus rubbed his head and asked in a groggy done of voice "What just happened?" to which Scheroder tried to guess while he cleaned the dirt off himself and his piano "Ugh,I feel like I drank too much root beer at a party,what happened in that cave?"

"We got ourselves into a dance number with Ed and his lamplighter friends." Marcie nonchalantly explained what had happened in the cave to the others as Sally giddily remarked "That was so much fun,dancing with everyone,going down the slide and seeing the crystals,can we go back in?"

"No way Sally,we are not going in there again. It was like some strange fever dream." Lucy instantly and sternly went against the idea of going back into the cave as Charlie Brown added much more calmly "Besides,we're almost back at the rest stop. I…..recognize this part of the woods actually,the hiking trail should be around here somewhere." before Patty calmly stated "You know what,after this,I take back everything I said about Ed not being a good travel guide." which resulted in a quick laugh from the group.

"So,ready for one last hike together?" Charlie Brown rhetorically asked with a smile on his face as they all came together and clasped their hands/paws/feathers together before they all said in unison "Right." The rest stop and the hiking trail was just up ahead,and it only would take one last hike together as a group.

 **Charlie Brown:** _Now,now more than ever we must stick together,united._

 **Linus:** _Now,it's now or never so let's face the future,clear sided._

 **Rebecca:** _Somehow we've managed to make it this far,it's been one heck of a ride._

 **Everyone:** _There's nothing I couldn't do,not with you by my side._

And all at once the gang all disbanded and they started their very last hike.

 **Patty:** _Maybe tomorrow we'll find to our sorrow our story has come to an ending._

 **Scheroder:** _Maybe we're fated to be separated who knows where our paths might be bending?_

 **Marcie:** _How I wish we could stay here forever this way,but perhaps there's no point in pretending._

 **Linus:** _If we're destined to head in our own different ways._

 **Girls:** _Let's make the most of these wee final days._

 **Everyone:** _Why not go out in a glorious blaze? 'Cause now,now more than ever we're still here together united. Now,it's now or never so let's stand as one undivided. When we look back at this moment we had,then shall we tremble with pride. There's nothing I couldn't do not with you by my side. What in the world would I do?_

 **Lucy** **:** _Without you._

 **Snoopy's Thoughts:** _Without you._

 **Rebecca:** _Without you._

 **Everyone:** _By my side?_

" **Trip A Little Light Fantastic" And "With You By My Side" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records**

* * *

 **Author's Note 2**

 **I got some good news and some bad news,the good news is that there's only a few chapters left to go,around 4 or 5. The bad news is that we're about to go into some very heavy territory,and all I ask is that no matter what happens,I want you to remember that it will all come together for a happy ending for all.**


	17. Chapter 17: Back To Where We Started

Chapter 17: Back To Where We Started

At long last,finally at long last the kids had finally made it back to the stairs that led to the rest stop they were supposed to have been at,after losing their map and compass in the storm,after getting sent on a completely different trail to be met with an entirely different rest stop by Ed and Herman,to getting lost in a crystal lit cave,it had all finally come to this.

As they all stared up ahead at the same concrete stairs attached to the same brick wall where the highway was,all they felt was nothing short of accomplishment and satisfaction as Sally happily exclaimed "We did it! We made it back!" before Patty cheerfully added "See? I knew we could get through this!"

"It feels like we've been out here for years,but it's only been a few days." Scheroder chuckled and happily remarked as well as Linus sighed and replied "Who would have thought that we'd get through this all by ourselves,this sure was one way to spend our summer vacation."

"Not to mention that we still have a month and a half left." Lucy nodded her head and happily retorted before Charlie Brown suddenly whispered to the group aside from Rebecca so she wouldn't hear "I wouldn't recommend showing her…..you know what?" to which Rebecca asked out of curiosity when she ended up hearing them anyway "Show me what?"

Immediately afterwards Charlie Brown and the others turned around to see that Rebecca was wearing an innocent and cheerful smile as Sally nervously tried to brush what her brother had said aside while she pointed up ahead "No there's nothing you need to see behind that tree over there!" to which the other's facepalmed and angrily yelled in unison "Sally!"

"Oops." Sally timidly whimpered to herself as Charlie Brown turned around and tried to dissuade Rebecca from seeing what was behind the tree,only to find out that she was already there and staring at something on the ground.

"Oh no." Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and meekly whispered to himself as he and the others slowly headed behind the tree to see that Rebecca was looking down at the memorial of her parents. She didn't say or do anything worth noting and instead just looked at it for what felt like hours before Charlie Brown cautiously placed his hand on her shoulder and timidly asked "Rebecca? Are you alright?" to which the girl sighed and somberly retorted "So I guess this is where it happened huh? I knew this place looked familiar for some reason."

"Y-Yeah,we just didn't want to remind you about what had happened." Linus stammered and explained their reasoning for not wanting to show her the memorial as Charlie Brown added "We thought it would upset you and we wanted you to be happy on the day you were coming home. Sorry if we weren't being completely honest." to which Rebecca sighed and forgave them "It's alright guys,it's just that I remember them being so excited to be finally heading back to Kansas,but then that storm came and…...everything changed. I wish they were still here,but no they're….gone."

 **Rebecca:** _These are the parents of my childhood,these were the bearers of my life,in this lovely,beautiful world,where a husband loved his wife,easy to remember,harder to move on,knowing the parents of my childhood are gone._

* * *

Rebecca was slowly starting to tear up due to her reminding herself that her parents were gone as Linus tried to comfort her "Rebecca the thing is,the people we love,they continue to live on in our hearts and our memories after they die,your parents aren't gone forever." before the girl asked out of a slight sense of disbelief "Really? I've never looked at things like that before,with the way my life has been I don't think I've had the right to really."

"That's not true." Charlie Brown suddenly stated in a stern and almost authoritarian tone of voice as he continued "You have every right to be happy in your life,and you have the right to positively think about your parents again,and the thing is,I once felt like I didn't deserve much of anything myself,but then I met two girls who made me feel like so much more than a wishy washy failure. One of them was you Rebecca,and if someone like me managed to deserve something like that,then so do you." before Snoopy comfortingly gave Rebecca a brief hug from behind,causing her saddened frown to slowly morph into a smile as she turned around and merely stated "Thanks."

"Alright,now let's get you back home." Charlie Brown smiled and suggested as he and the others started to head on over to the stairs,but it was then that Rebecca's smile slowly started to turn into a frown again expect this time it was out of uncertainty instead of sadness as she timidly called out "H-hold on a second." to which the boy turned around and asked "Huh?" before Rebecca continued "There's something I need to talk to y'all about."

Charlie Brown was slightly confused by what Rebecca was seemingly wanting to talk about but he ultimately obliged anyway as he walked back over to where Rebecca was and stated "Okay uh,what?" before Rebecca slowly took out the now folded up flyer and asked "Would you mind telling me what this is?" to which Charlie Brown took it and opened it to see that it was the flyer for an orphanage in Sparkyville he brought with him.

"Oh,I was wondering where this was." Charlie Brown softly gasped at the revelation that this was the flyer he brought with him as he tried to explain what it was "T-this is just a flyer for an orphanage in Sparkyville I brought,because if there is a slight chance that we can't find you a family by ourselves,well we can just take you there and they can find one for you." to which Rebecca's eyes widened and the words of her mother begun to rung in her head again "This is why they're here,don't let them deceive you,that's how fast they'll leave you,I won't say I told you so." before she timidly stammered "W-What? Y-you're gonna dump me off at another orphanage?"

"What? No that's not what I'm saying at all." Charlie Brown replied in awe that Rebecca was thinking they were gonna take her to another orphanage as Linus asked in confusion "Rebecca what's gotten into you? We're not gonna dump you in another orphanage right after we just got you out of one." to which the girl started to tear up again this time out of anger while she retorted "Oh yeah well that didn't stop y'all from bringing one of these anyway." It was then that the sky was starting to become filled with dark and stormy looking clouds and the rumbling of thunder could be here while the wind was starting to pick up.

"R-Rebecca listen-" Charlie Brown frantically tried to calm Rebecca down but it seemed that Mrs Hampton somehow still had a mental grasp on her as she interrupted him and yelled "If I'm gonna be leaving this place just to find out that there's a possibility that I'll be cooked up in another orphanage for my life,then…...then." Rebecca was now on the verge of sobbing intensely as her anger filled attitude was fading away into a mixture of regret and sadness as she timidly concluded "I really like you all….I really do,but I'm sorry…...I-I can't go with you." before she suddenly bolted off into the woods by herself as Charlie Brown ran after her and yelled "Rebecca wait!" before being interrupted when the wind ended up knocking down one of the weaker trees in the area and effectively blocking the path.

"No! No! Rebecca!" Charlie Brown yelled in an utter panic as he tried to lift the tree up and go after her,but alas,he was far too weak to even get it to remotely budge before Patty suddenly yelled from behind when she saw another pathway they could use to the left "Come on this way!" to which Charlie Brown and the others frantically followed it. Pretty soon the rain was starting to fall and the wind speed was quickly starting to increase at an alarming rate,but that sure didn't stop the kids from trying to find Rebecca as they quickly ran through the woods and tried to look for her.

"What on earth is she doing?! This isn't like her!" Patty angrily yelled in bewilderment that Rebecca was acting this way as Linus tried to rationalize a reason why "She's been kept out here for so long that the very idea of being locked up in another orphanage is horrifying to her!" before Charlie Brown groaned and exclaimed "Oh this is all my fault,I never should have brought that flyer or told her about it in the first place!" to which Lucy frantically retorted "You'll have plenty of time to sulk later,we gotta find her!"

"Yeah we're not gonna lose her!" Sally yelled in utter determination as Scheroder suddenly exclaimed when he saw Rebecca up ahead "There she is!" to which Charlie Brown once again tried to call out to her in a panic while he increased his running speed "Rebecca hold on!" However Linus quickly began to notice that the wind had knocked over another tree and it was just about to land directly on Charlie Brown as he frantically yelled "Charlie Brown look out!" only for the boy to ignore him as he continued to call out to Rebecca.

It was then that Linus got an idea as he used his blanket to grab Charlie Brown by the foot and drag him away from the falling tree right before it landed on the ground with an incredibly loud thud as Charlie Brown called out in a panic "Rebecca! Rebecca!" while Linus frantically tried to calm him down,however when that ended up failing and Charlie Brown continued to call out her name,Linus took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs "Charlie Brown! She's gone!" to which the boy retorted in a panic "No,no I can't leave her!"

"Charlie Brown I'm sorry,I really,really am,but this is what she wants." Linus sighed and somberly tried to calm Charlie Brown down as the boy finally stopped his panicked rambling and replied on the verge of tears while he got himself back up "But…..we came all this way to get her away from here,and now she's going back. We have to do something." before he turned around to see that the others were merely wearing faces filled with sorrow and regret,almost like they agreed with Linus as Charlie Brown timidly asked "Guys?"

"Chuck,I think we should go. It's raining pretty badly and I don't see how we can find her now." Patty surprisingly and sadly suggested as the others timidly nodded their heads in agreement before they all begun to walk away and head on back,leaving only Charlie Brown,Snoopy,Woodstock,Amy and Jasper as they all walked over to the tree and looked through one of the empty spaces in it to see only an empty and uninhabited pathway while the boy said to himself in confusion "Rebecca,why?" to which Snoopy tried to comfort his owner as he placed his hand on his back,which instantly resulted in the boy turning around and giving his dog a hug that he quickly joined in as well.

It was then that Charlie Brown finally broke down in tears as he began to sob uncontrollably while Snoopy patted him on the back a few times in an attempt to comfort him. Amy and Jasper were also incredibly saddened at Rebecca's sudden leaving as the former started to tear up while the latter wore only a look of sadness before Woodstock tried to comfort them with a hug as well,which ended up cheering them up a little. After what felt like an utter eternity,Charlie Brown had finally let go of his dog and stopped sobbing as he choked up a suggestion "Come on,let's go." before they slowly followed the others.

Meanwhile Rebecca had since slowed down immensely and was now merely walking through the soaking wet forest while she was shivering due to the cold of the rain and contemplated on everything that led up to here.

 _Rain is pourin' down like the heavens are hurtin',seems like it's been dark since the devil knows when,how do you go on never knowin' for certain,will the sun ever shine again?_

 _Feels like it's been years since it started to thunder,clouds are campin' out in the valley and glen,how do you go on when you can't help but wonder,will the sun ever shine again._

 _What if the rain keeps fallin'? What if the sky stays gray? What if the winds keep squallin',and never go away._

 _Maybe soon the storm will be tired of blowin',maybe soon it all will be over amen,how do you go on if there's no way of knowin',will the sun ever shine?_

 _Wish I could say,send me a sign,one little ray,lord if you're list'nin how long until then,will the sun ever shine again?_

Soon Rebecca finally managed to make it back to the orphanage,and the very first thing she saw was Mrs Hampton standing at the doorway as she slowly walked past her and went up the stairs back to her room,but not before Mrs Hampton whispered into her ear "I told you so."

" **How Does A Moment Last Forever Montmartre" and "Will The Sun Shine Again?" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records**


	18. Chapter 18: Rock Bottom

Chapter 18: Rock Bottom

 **Author's Note: Strap yourselves in folks,lotta songs in this chapter.**

"Why?" Those were the only words that Charlie Brown and the others could remotely think about after what had just happened,they were all so close to finally getting Rebecca a new home and all they had to do was climb up the stairs that led to the rest stop and head back to Sparkyville,but it seemed that Mrs Hampton still had a bit of a mental grasp of some sort on Rebecca's well-being because she ended up running off into the forest after finding out that there was a slim chance that they'd take her to an orphanage in Sparkyville in case they couldn't find her a family by themselves.

What made things even worse was how fast it all happened,it only took a matter of minutes for them to lose sight of Rebecca and come to terms with the fact that she was gone,and this certainly took a heavy toll on them all,and especially Charlie Brown since they all had grown a liking to the girl.

It had only been a few days since the incident had happened and the gang had already made it back to Sparkyville and returned the rental car since a lot of the road construction that they came across on the way had since been completed. They all tried to move on from the situation and let things go back to normal for the most part,but that was quickly proving to be quite difficult and in Charlie Brown's case completely impossible,he was absolutely heartbroken and who could really blame him?

Amy and Jasper were now left alone without Rebecca and it almost felt like they had no idea what to do without her,thankfully Woodstock,Snoopy,Sally and Charlie Brown were kind enough to let them stay at their house although Woodstock would have let Amy stay anyway since they were practically a couple now,while Jasper merely stayed in Charlie Brown's room and occasionally went out to spend some time with Snoopy,Woodstock and Amy.

It was the start of what was shaping up to be another nice summer day and everyone in Sparkyville were up to their usual daily routine. Snoopy was still sleeping on top of his doghouse with Woodstock except that Amy was now sleeping beside him,Sally was busy watching some TV on the bean bag with a bowl of cereal in her lap,Lucy was setting up her Psychiatric Help booth while a small electric fan was blowing on her to keep her cool,Scheroder was preparing for a long music session on his piano with the same head bust of Beethoven sitting on top of it,Patty and Marcie were doing whatever they did on their side of town,and lastly Charlie Brown was slowly and somberly walking over to the brick wall where Linus would likely be with his head hung low.

Charlie Brown was still incredibly disappointed and saddened by Rebecca's decision to not come back to Sparkyville with him and the others,but he had managed to cheer up a little,although it be very slightly to the point of being considered unnoticeable. Once he finally made it over to the red brick wall,he would indeed be proven right when he saw that Linus was leaning on the edge of it with him sucking his thumb and holding his blanket in the other hand as he somberly greeted him "Hey Linus."

Afterwards Linus opened his eyes and took his thumb out of his mouth as he calmly greeted his friend back while he leaned on the wall as well "Hey Charlie Brown,still thinking about Rebecca I guess?" before the boy nonchalantly confirmed that he was "Yep,I still can't get her out of my mind even though we've been back for a few days." to which Linus sighed and tried to sympathize with him "Well I don't really blame you or see it as something worth being ashamed of,she was our friend and to see her lose it like that is something I don't think anyone would forget,or could forget even."

"I just don't understand why she had to leave and go back to the orphanage. I mean she seemed so exited to be finally leaving that place but then she just lost it and went back anyway." Charlie Brown sighed and somberly remarked in a mixture of confusion and dumbfoundedness as Linus tried to guess the reason why she left "I said it in the woods and in the car and I'll say it here,I think the possibility of her having to go to the orphanage here in Sparkyville if we couldn't find her a home was too much for her to bear,and I think that's what made her snap like that. This is my fault,I shouldn't have gotten that flyer before we left." to which Charlie Brown looked down at the pond in front of them and added "And it's my fault for not leaving it in the car,we both messed up here." before Linus chuckled and replied "Well thanks for taking your share of the blame Charlie Brown. And guess what?"

"What?" Charlie Brown asked out of curiosity due to what Linus was talking about as the boy leaned in closer and whispered into his ear "I invited Violet,Piere and Heather to the fireworks show. Don't tell Patty and Marcie,I want it to be a surprise for them." to which Charlie Brown's eyes widened and he replied with the first smile he ever had since the incident with Rebecca "Wow you invited all three of them? And to think I never thought of inviting them myself,thanks Linus." before Linus got a bit of a nervous smile and replied "Hey I just thought it'd be a nice way to cheer you up since the 4'th of July is in a little over a week. So that means them,possibly Ed if he actually follows through on that promise and the rest of Snoopy's family are gonna be coming. Not to mention the carnival happening the next day. What do you think of that?"

"That's…..that's really something to look forward to. It's like everyone we know is gonna be here." Charlie Brown couldn't help but admit that he was looking forward to the festival and the carnival before he suddenly started to remember how excited Rebecca was for the show as his smile slowly faded away into a frown while he sadly remarked "I just wish Rebecca would have been able to see it." to which Linus sighed and tried to cheer him up once again "Look Charlie Brown,I'm not a prophet or a time traveler by any means,but I got a feeling that Rebecca will see the show,I'm pretty confident about that. And hey if there were some good things that came out of this whole thing,it's that we did get to spend some time with her,Spike is already here ahead of time and that Woodstock finally got a girlfriend."

"Yeah,I guess there's that. Thanks Linus." Charlie Brown once again started to grow a bit of a smile and admitted as Linus chuckled and stated while he started to walk away from the wall "Well I'm gonna go to the pool in a little bit with some of the others,you wanna come?" to which Charlie Brown started to show a slight hint of interest in the idea "Uh,sure I guess,I'll come later on." before Linus headed off to do some other stuff,leaving Charlie Brown completely by himself.

"Ugh,we were so close Rebecca,this close. There were so many things I wanted to do with you,we could've done so much. You could've done so much." Charlie Brown sighed and somberly remarked as he stared off into the glowing blue water of the lake and started to reminisce about his life and everything that brought him here.

 **Charlie Brown:** _I thought I was an outcast,I thought I stood alone,a rouge,a klutz,a blockhead,no place to call my own. I thought no one could love me and how could I have known I was wrong,oh so wrong?_

 _And then I thought I found it,a dream that I could share,I thought I was so lucky,it almost wasn't fair. I thought I knew my purpose,I thought that I knew where you belonged,but I was wrong._

 _Everything I ever thought I knew,where I've been,where I'm going,everything I counted on turned out to be untrue could've guessed,should've known. Now I do._

 _Everything I've yearned for,everything I planned,all my sweetest memories were castles made of sand,now that it's all crumbling help me understand,if none of it was really you then who am I supposed to be?_

 _And everything I ever thought I knew,every hope,every feeling,love and trust and happiness,they're done,they're gone,they're through. And what's left,me alone? Once again,should've known,now I do._

Charlie Brown then started to walk away from the brick wall and head on back to his house to get ready for his day at the pool.

 _I guess she meant nothing,I guess she was a sham,I guess she's someone else now,I wonder who she is._

* * *

If Charlie Brown and the others were having a bit of a rough time back in Sparkyville,then that was absolutely nothing compared to what Rebecca had been going through back at the orphanage. Ever since she had returned the security had been upped to the tenth degree despite her being the only kid there,Mrs Hampton had since added an extra lock to the other side of the front door so Rebecca couldn't easily get out,and she even put up black bars over her window so she couldn't even open it,but the worst parts about it all were the fact that Rebecca was now completely alone and feeling nothing but pure regret for what she had done.

Rebecca was once again in the confines of her own bedroom and was laying down on her bed and staring up at the dusty and slowly falling apart ceiling,she never thought she would be back in this place again but thanks to Mrs Hampton's emotional manipulation,she was once again bound mentally and physically to this prison of hers.

"So,I guess we're back here guys." Rebecca sighed and somberly remarked now that she was back in the orphanage as she was expecting some sort of response from Amy or Jasper,only to receive none of any sort as she got out of her bed and called out "Guys?" before she quickly remembered that they were gone as she sadly reminded herself while she looked out the window the best she could "Oh,that's right,you're…..back in Sparkyville with all the others….away from here. Why on earth did I do this? How could I have been so stupid and selfish? I don't understand,how could I have said no? What if that's the last time we ever talked? Why didn't I say yes?" before she started to reminisce.

 **Rebecca:** _When I let him walk away,what if I had spoken "stay",why did I go on concealing the confusion I was feeling? Now I'll never get to say,all the things I should've said,now there's no more love just echoes of a life we should have led._ _If I could take that moment back,if he were here beside me still,I'd let him see inside my heart,now he never will._

 **Charlie Brown:** _Maybe if I gave her time,maybe if I didn't go,maybe things somehow would change but now,I guess we'll never know._

 **Rebecca:** _If I could take that moment back._

 **Charlie Brown:** _If I could turn back time I would._

 **Both:** _If we could make a brand new start,how I wish we could._

 **Rebecca:** _Wish I could take it back,but now it's gone for good._

 **Charlie Brown:** _Wish I had that moment back._

Afterwards with nothing better to do,Rebecca ultimately decided to go to bed as she slowly closed the curtains on her window,curled under the blanket and eventually cried herself to sleep knowing she'd never get a chance to change things.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Sparkyville,Charlie Brown,Snoopy and Sally were busy getting ready for their day at the pool with Linus and the others,if he was being honest the only real reason Charlie Brown was even thinking about going in the first place was so this could possibly take his mind off of Rebecca for a while,and the other two were just going because it sounded like something fun to do. Amy,Jasper and Woodstock on the other hand merely decided to stay behind,for they wanted to just stay home and relax as a way to spend their summer. Snoopy already had all of his stuff ready in the backyard such as his red swim trunks,yellow surfboard despite them going to the pool and not the beach,swimming goggles,umbrella and lastly a huge picnic basket all for himself,and Charlie Brown had already put his and Sally's stuff in a small suitcase.

The three of them were patiently waiting in the living room of their house for Linus's family to pick them up in their van as they watched some good ole TV to pass the time,however Sally was quick to notice that her brother didn't seem all too excited to be going to the pool like she and Snoopy were,and thinking that he was still caught up with thoughts about Rebecca she surprisingly decided to try and comfort him "I'm really sorry about Rebecca big brother,I was really hoping and expecting her to come home with us." to which the boy lifted his hung head up and replied with a faint smile "Oh it's alright Sally,I'm just a little disappointed that's all,let's just try to drop it and try to have some fun with Linus and them today." before they suddenly heard someone knocking at their front door as Charlie Brown got up and remarked "Speak of the devil that must be Linus,come on you two."

While Charlie Brown headed over to the front door with Sally and Snoopy went out to the backyard to get his stuff,he took a bit of a deep breath and quietly whispered to himself "Just try to have a good day here Charles." before he slowly opened the door to be met with a huge surprise as Snoopy quickly joined them. Instead of Linus and the others like he,Sally and Snoopy were expecting,it was actually none other than Ed and Herman as the former greeted the trio with an ecstatic grin "Yeeeeeeee haaaaaaaa!" to which Charlie Brown's eyes widened out of surprise while he stammered "E-Ed?! Herman?! What are you two doing here?" before Sally added equally as surprised "When did you two get here?"

"Just dropped in not too long ago,after we got the lamplighters to their little operation we decided to come here for the fireworks show ahead of time." Ed nonchalantly explained himself and his reasoning for being here as Charlie Brown grew a faint smile and replied "Well,it's good to know you're already here Ed. We're actually about to go to the pool with Linus and the rest of the gang,you wanna come with us?" to which the boy shook his head and politely declined "Nah,you fellers go on without us,I don't think we'd really fit in too well. Where's Rebecca?"

It was then that Charlie Brown's smile slowly but surely faded away into a somber frown since he was being reminded that Rebecca wasn't here at all as he nervously decided to bid Ed the bad news "Well,the thing is…...she's not really…..here." to which the boy raised an eyebrow and developed a confused scowl while he asked "Not here? What do you mean,didn't she come back with y'all?" before Sally tried to explain things to him "Well we were just about to leave the rest stop and come back home but then she suddenly started acting all weird and went off into the woods,we tried to go after her but we ended up losing her in a storm."

Ed however was still reluctant to believe that Rebecca was really not here as he nervously chuckled and asked in disbelief "No,no y'all have to be pulling my leg here." but the more he looked at the utter look of disappointment on Charlie Brown,Sally and Snoopy's faces,he knew that in the back of his mind that they were telling the truth as his smile faded away once again and he meekly asked just to be sure "So,she's really not here then?" to which Charlie Brown timidly nodded his head and confirmed "Yep,she's probably back at that orphanage now."

It was then that Ed's saddened and disappointed scowl slowly started to morph into a look of pure anger and frustration as he clenched his fists in determination,however before he could even say anything they would all be startled when they heard what sounded like a car driving by followed by the honking of a horn as they all looked behind them to see that the others had arrived.

"Oh that must be Linus,we'll talk more about this later Ed." Charlie Brown suddenly perked up and stated in a more enthusiastic tone of voice as Sally bid him farewell for the time being while they closed the door and walked past him "See you later Ed." before she,Charlie Brown and Snoopy got in the van with Linus and the others and headed off to the pool. However once it was just Ed and Herman completely alone in the quiet and sunlit neighborhood,the former started to grow a look of pure determination and heroism on his face as he stared off into the bright blue sky and stated "Herman,I know we just got here and all,but I think it's time for us and the crew to go on a rescue mission." before Herman saluted and Ed loudly whistled.

Soon afterwards after he whistled,Ed's large eagle friend quickly came flying out of the sky as she landed on the ground with a loud thud to which Ed sternly commanded her "Annabelle,you gotta take us back to the hideout,it's time to round up the crew and rescue us a damsel!" before Annabelle wasted no time and grabbed both him and Herman with her talons and quickly flew off to Ed's secret hideout while he encouraging stated "I'm gonna need you to really spread your wings here,there's no time to waste!"

* * *

After Rebecca had decided to go on ahead and head off to sleep for the day,all she was hoping and wanting was a good night's sleep to try and take her mind off her mistake,however she would be proven horribly wrong when she suddenly ended up waking up face down in a grassy field. As she slowly opened up her eyes and was met with the feeling of grass all over her body,she quickly lifted herself up as she gasped out of shock. There was no way this could have been real,she had to have been dreaming yet this felt so real and genuine at the same time. Once she eventually managed to calm herself down and take this all in,she was finally able to start taking the scenery in,and it was actually quite beautiful.

The sky was completely clear and free of any clouds,and judging by the bright yellow color of the sky and the grass it was either very mid morning or mid evening as the blades of grass glowed bright yellow and orange in the sunlight. Rebecca was in awe of the sheer beauty of this mysterious place she was in as she slowly started to develop an awe filled smile and remarked "Wow." before she started to walk around the field.

As she continued to walk around and explore the grassy field,it was becoming increasingly obvious that she was the only one there as her smile started to fade into a saddened frown due to this being a reminder that she was all alone. She almost considered just lying down in the grass and going back to sleep or looking up at the sky until she heard the strangest noise come from behind her,it almost sounded like a familiar sounding music box as she slowly turned around to be met with a shocking sight.

Standing or more specifically sitting up a few feet ahead at a small work desk was a much older looking man who seemed to be working on something although it couldn't be seen what it was,however one look at the man was enough for Rebecca to recognize it as her father as she timidly bluttered out in confusion "D….dad?" only for the man to keep completely silent.

"Dad is that you?" Rebecca meekly asked once again as she slowly walked up to the man and tried to get his attention by patting him on the back,only for that to end up failing when her hand passed right through him as she softly gasped in shock. Afterwards she tried again and again to get his attention but ended up failing each and every time,and soon she had finally given up and decided to call it quits as she sadly sighed and started to walk away,only for her to be halted when she heard the man finally respond.

 **Man:** _How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die? It is love we must hold onto,never easy but we try. Sometimes our happiness is captured,somehow a time and place stand still,love lives on inside our hearts,and always will._

Rebecca was left slightly confused by what her dad was talking about as she hung her head and asked "D-dad what does that mean? What are you talking about?" before she lifted her head back up and continued "Dad-" but stopped when she realized that her father was suddenly gone without a trace as she called out in desperation "Dad? Dad!" only to receive no response once again.

"What is going on?" Rebecca quietly asked herself in confusion before she once again decided to explore the field,only this time she couldn't seem to get her father's words out of her head as she tried to make some sense of them "Love lives on inside of our hearts? What on earth does that mean? How in the world can I let it live on if I've lost everyone I've ever loved,mom,dad,Charlie Brown,Linus,Marcie,Patty,Lucy,Snoopy,they're all gone and I'll never see them again."

It was then that Rebecca was slowly starting to tear up again as she sat down on the ground and buried her face in her lap before she started sobbing uncontrollably,she was trying endlessly to come to terms with the fact that everyone she had ever loved was gone,and that she would likely never see them again. However she would eventually stop crying and slowly lift her head back up when she suddenly heard a very loving voice echo throughout the field,only this time it was a woman's and it sounded almost like her mother's,her real one,and that the sky was now pitch black and filled with numerous stars along with a bright,blue full moon.

 **Woman:** _Do you ever lie awake at night,just between the dark and the morning light? Searching for the things you used to know,looking for the place where the lost things go?_

 _Do you ever dream or reminisce,wondering where to find what you truly miss? Or maybe all those things that you love so,are waiting in the place where the lost things go?_

 _Memories you've shared,gone for good you feared,they're all around you still though they've disappeared. Nothing's really left,or lost without a trace,nothing's gone forever only out of place._

 _So maybe now the dish,and my best spoon,are playing hide and seek just behind the moon. Waiting there until it's time to show,spring is like that now,far beneath the snow,hiding in the place where the lost things go._

It was then that Rebecca started to feel this strange sense of comfort before she started to quietly cry again,expect this time out of happiness instead of sadness and grief as she asked herself "What is this feeling?"

 _Time to close your eyes,so sleep can come around,for when you dream you find all that's lost is found. Maybe on the moon,or maybe somewhere new,maybe all you're missing lives inside of you._

 _So when you need our touch,and loving gaze,"gone but not forgotten" is the perfect phrase. Smiling from a star that we make glow,trust we're always there,watching as you grow,find us in the place where the lost things go._

Rebecca was now feeling nothing but pure happiness inside of her,and all the sadness and grief she previously felt was completely washed away as she started to quietly laugh amidst her own crying before she stood up and looked at the moon and happily called out while she clenched the part of her chest where her heart was "Thank you mom,thank you dad. You and Linus were right,y'all aren't gone forever,you're all still here."

However Rebecca would quickly be reminded that she was still locked up in Mrs Hampton's prison as her smile slowly faded away while she somberly remarked "But….I'm still locked up here by my mother….no….by Mrs Hampton." before she took a deep breath and continued in a much more determined tone of voice "It's because of her that my life has been like this,and it's about time that I cut her out of it forever. I now know what I must do."

 **Rebecca:** _Locked inside a tower,kept behind a wall,sheltered from a world you've barely known. That's the way she treats you,and what's worse of all,who's to blame just you and you alone? There's much more inside of you than anyone can see,and now the choice is yours,life waits behind the doors,so step on through the time has come,and only you can set yourself free._

 _No one else can tell you what to do,or who to be. No one gets to say if you will stay or go,so use the gifts you're given,make the world your own,look inside your heart and find the key,and set yourself free._

 _Bound up by your worries,trapped by your mistakes,forced to play your roll you never chose. Why not test your limits? You've got what it takes,let it out and follow where it goes. No more letting someone else define you to a tee,you know that you are strong,you've known it all along,so seize the day,let down your hair you'll find a way to set yourself free._

 _Now it's up to you and what you'll do,and who'll you'll be! You'll get to decide how far and wide you'll go. So look to the horizon,open up your wings,fly away to find your destiny,and set yourself free!_

* * *

Afterwards Rebecca instantly shot wide awake out of her bed as she quickly looked over to her window to see that it was the next day,and she was now more determined than ever before to get out as she stormed right out of her bed and made her way towards her bedroom door. However she would be suddenly caught off guard when she saw that there was a small green lizard on the ground as she looked down at it and asked in confusion "Oh,hi there,where did you come from little guy?" only for her to be left in awe when she saw that the lizard had a very small piece of paper in it's mouth as she gently took it out of it's mouth and opened it up to see that it was actually a short and brief message that read "Hold on Rebecca,I'm coming to get you out. Ed."

Rebecca was left in a mixture of shock,excitement and determination at the revelation that Ed was coming to help her break out of the orphanage once and for all as she looked down at the lizard and told him "Thank you so much,go back to Ed and tell him I got the message. Tell him to be extra careful because security is tight." to which the lizard gave a salute and quickly crawled under Rebecca's door so it could get out and bid him the news. Whether it would be due to Ed or due to her own wits,one thing was 100% sure,Rebecca was getting out again,and this time it would stay that way.

" **Everything I Ever Thought I Knew" "If I Could Take This Moment Back" "How Does A Moment Last Forever?" "The Place Where Lost Things Go" and "Set Yourself Free" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records**


	19. Chapter 19: Busting Out

Chapter 19: Busting Out

This was it,this was finally it,after years and years of emotional and mental abuse,Rebecca's final confrontation with Mrs Hampton was about to transpire and she was finally about to leave her as well as the orphanage behind forever,not to mention the fact that Ed seemed to be coming to the rescue to get her out with his animal pals,there was no that this could possibly go wrong.

After the lizard that Ed had sent delivered his message to Rebecca and found his way out of the orphanage,Rebecca took a big,deep breath and quietly whispered to herself in determination "Don't worry Rebecca,you can do this. You go up to her,tell her you're done and no matter what happens,you will not listen to her anymore. 1,2….3." before she slammed the door to her bedroom open and stormed down the hall with the intent to head to Mrs Hampton's office as she yelled while she let herself into the office "Mrs Hampton! We need to talk! Right now!"

Almost immediately Mrs Hampton lifted her head up from what seemed to be a pile of paperwork on her main working desk as she asked in a manipulative and overly sweet tone of voice "Oh my dear Rebecca,what on earth is the matter?" to which Rebecca sneered at her obvious attempt to seem like a well rounded,nice individual and fiercely retorted "Oh will you just stop with the attempts to appear loving and kind already?! And it's funny that you're even asking me that at all when you should know full well what's the matter with me!" before Mrs Hampton once again tried to appear like a loving mother while she got out of her chair and tried to pat Rebecca on the head "Why Rebecca are you even listening to yourself here? You know that I love you very much,and am only trying to protect you from the dangers of the outside world,this is how things should be-"

"No! You're lying!" Rebecca suddenly and loudly interrupted Mrs Hampton's blatant and manipulative lying as she tightly grabbed her hand before it could even touch her forehead while Mrs Hampton's smile quickly morphed into a panicked and anger filled frown as she sternly demanded while she tried to break free "Rebecca Hornwell,I am your mother,and as your mother I demand that you let me go this very instant!" to which Rebecca instead tightened her grip and refused "No! You are not my mother,because if you really were my mother,you wouldn't have been actively trying to ruin my life for years and years as soon as I stepped into this place!"

"Rebecca!" Mrs Hampton sternly and angrily tried to get Rebecca to listen to her but that demand merely fell on deaf ears as the girl instead ignored her and yelled "You were trying to keep my away from my best friends in the whole wide world,and for a moment you briefly succeeded,but I am done being your slave! I am done being your fake daughter! And I will never let you control my life again!" before she suddenly reached into Mrs Hampton's pocket,pulled out the GPS tracker she had been using to track her and crushed it into pieces with her foot. Afterwards she then pushed Mrs Hampton away from her with a very sudden increase in her strength as she landed right on the table and ended up shattering it into many wooden pieces,causing her paperwork to end up flying all over the place and generally making a big mess.

Mrs Hampton was left absolutely shocked and bewildered to have seen Rebecca turn on her like this after so long as the latter coldly stated under her own heavy breathing "Another friend of mine is coming to get me very soon,goodbye Mrs Hampton." before she slowly started to walk away and head for the office door. However before she even made it to the front door,she would be utterly horrified when she heard the clicking of a gun along with the now strangely calm voice of Mrs Hampton state as she slowly turned around to face her "Oh my dear Rebecca,it seems that you have finally managed to grow a spine. I was hoping I would never have to resort to this,but it seems that you have left me no choice."

It was then that Rebecca's calm,collected and most of all determined look on her face had quickly turned into one of fear and horror as she frantically asked "What is that? Where did you get that?" to which Mrs Hampton merely shrugged her arms and explained herself "Think of it as a last resort in case anything like this should happen." before she pointed to the corner in the left in the office by the door and sternly demanded "Now get in that corner over there,or I will use this. Try me." to which Rebecca developed an anger filled scowl and remarked as she reluctantly headed over to the corner "Pulling out a gun on your own adoptive daughter? You really are insane here,but I'm telling you this,I will get out no matter what,even without Ed's help."

"Oh really? And what makes you think he'll be able to get past my guards and this?" Mrs Hampton evilly chuckled to herself and asked with a twisted and psychotic smirk as she pointed to the revolver she held in her hand before she suddenly continued in a much more loving sounding tone of voice "But tell you what Rebecca,I'll make sure you and your friend have one last moment together before I…..do away with him." to which Rebecca gasped out of a mixture of shock and fear while her eyes widened. Mrs Hampton was literally saying that she was gonna kill Ed whenever he would come by to rescue Rebecca as she looked out the window and devilishly remarked "Any moment now,Rebecca."

 **Mrs Hampton:** _Believe me I know,I've sunk pretty low,but whatever I've done you've deserved. (Mother-) Quiet! I'm the bad guy that's fine,it's no fault of mine and some justice at last will be served. (Please listen.)_

 _Now it's time to step up or it's time to back down and there's only one answer for me. And I'll stand up and fight 'cause I know that I'm right and I'm ready,I'm ready,I'm ready,ready as I'll ever be!_

Meanwhile miles and miles away from the orphanage,Ed had managed to gather his entire crew together which considered of bears,moose,squirrels,wolves,hawks,owls and various other animals as he and Herman gave them the news of what they were doing while Ed waved around a lit torch.

 **Ed:** _Now it's time to rise up or it's time to stand down and the answer is easy to see. And I swear by the torch if you're in get on board. Are you ready?_

 **Herman's Thoughts:** _I'm ready!_

 **Animals' Thoughts:** _We're ready! We're ready!_

 **Ed:** _Ready as I'll ever be!_

Sometime later it was around sunset and Ed and his crew were all ready to go as he sat on top of Herman next to an army of animals.

 _Am I quite sure I can do this? Together we will guarantee._

And they were off.

 **Mrs Hampton:** _I'll make them hear me!_

 **Animals:** _Now it's time to win big or it's time to lose all. (Prove she can trust me.) And the outcome will hardly come free. (I'll guard my friend and family.) Now the line's in the sand and our moment's at hand._

 **Herman's Thoughts:** _And I'm ready!_

 **Ed:** _I'm ready,I'm ready!_

 **Mrs Hampton:** _Ready as I'll ever be._

* * *

Pretty soon it was a little bit past nighttime,around 9:00 or 10:00 to be precise,and the stakes couldn't have been higher if anyone tried or wanted them to. Mrs Hampton in a last ditch effort to keep Rebecca from leaving had pulled out a gun on her and was now practically holding her hostage and had beefed up security for when Ed and his crew would inevitably show up.

Rebecca was still being held hostage and at gunpoint in the front office by Mrs Hampton and the guards were patrolling the front and top halls to make sure no one would get in or out. Rebecca was now more horrified than she had ever been in her life up until this point and it was completely understandable as to why,not only was her own life being threatened along with her freedom,but so was Ed's even more so as well. Rebecca was trying endlessly to negotiate with Mrs Hampton about keeping Ed alive as she frantically persisted and pleaded that she keep him alive,but it seemed that she was not having it any other way,for Mrs Hampton was finally starting to reveal her true,malicious colors.

Meanwhile Ed and his crew had finally made it over the orphanage and they were trying to scout out the place from the bushes in the distance by sending out a couple of birds to investigate the outside of the orphanage or sneak in through the hidden cracks,because even a kid like Ed knew that it wouldn't be as easy as just walking through the front door and that Mrs Hampton had to be hiding something up her sleeve. After a few minutes of Ed and his crew patiently waiting for a status update,the birds had finally made it back to their hiding place in the bushes as they all landed on Ed's arm and tweeted/hooted/cawed out what they were able to see.

"Alright that's really good to know,why don't y'all go ahead and get the police over here then head on back to the hideout,y'all have done all you could." Ed smiled and quietly thanked the birds for their help while he went ahead and dismissed them since they had likely done all they really could due to their species and what they were up against here.

Once the birds had finally taken their leave and headed on back to get the police,Ed starred up ahead at the orphanage for a few moments and quietly whispered to himself "All right,you got this Eddo." before he turned around to face the rest of the animals and sternly bid them the info that the birds had managed to receive "Alright gang,listen up. The birds have found out that Rebecca is up in the main office on the top floor,apparently that witch of a lady has her at gunpoint." to which the animals gasped in shock.

"I know guys,it ain't gonna be easy,but we gotta get her out at all costs." Ed sighed and admitted that he himself was a little unsure and nervous about this as well before he continued much more heroically "The birds have also said that the security is tighter than ever before,and that they're guarding all the doors inside. So that means we'll have to….improvise. Paul,I'm gonna need those strong horns and head of yours." to which one of the many moose behind him saluted,for Ed had seemed to have already gotten an idea.

* * *

"Mrs Hampton please you have to listen to me,Ed has done nothing wrong here,just let him go and please don't kill him whenever he gets here." Rebecca once again frantically pleaded with Mrs Hampton for her to let go Ed only for her to once again refuse "Oh Rebecca,Rebecca,you know you can't always get what you want,an example needs to be made here." to which Rebecca scoffed in bewilderment and angrily asked "And that example is you killing one of my friends in cold blood?!" before the woman sneered in disquest "Oh please like anyone is gonna miss that lonely hermit that has to resort to animals for company? One less stain on the world to worry about."

It was then that Rebecca was starting to feel nothing but pure contempt and hatred for Mrs Hampton on a level she never thought she could channel as she gritted her teeth and retorted "Oh Ed is not the stain here,you are! You are a selfish,low,manipulative coward!" before Mrs Hampton angrily slapped her in the face with the gun and coldly stated "Is that anyway to talk to your mother?" to which Rebecca slowly looked up at her and growled "You are not my mother."

However before Mrs Hampton could respond with another slap to the face,she and Rebecca would both be startled when they heard a loud and deafening crash come from down below along with the panicked ramblings of the guards before they were quickly followed by the sounds of a stampede as Mrs Hampton called out in confusion "What on earth is going on down there?!" to which one of the many guards replied in a panic "It's a complete mess down here,there are all kinds of animals everywhere,and there seems to be a boy with them. What do we do miss?"

It was then Rebecca immediately knew that it had to be Ed as she grew a wide smile and exclaimed in excitement "Ed!" to which Mrs Hampton sneered in anger and replied "Let him come,I'll deal with him myself." before Rebecca's smile faded back into a concerned and fearful frown.

Meanwhile back down stairs,Ed and his gang of animals were making complete mincemeat of the guards since they decided to charge right through the wall and get in that way as a moose charged right into two of the guards and launched them out the front door,shattering it into many pieces. A small and honestly kind of cute porcupine was shooting its razor sharp quills into a few of the guards ultimately causing them to flee the building. A green snake had slithered up one the guards and wrapped itself around his arm as it practically forced him to punch himself till he was knocked out. One of the bears ended up lifting one of the guards up by the back of their shirt with his teeth so Ed could knock them out with a karate kick to the head. And Herman was scarring the guards half to death with his razor sharp teeth and nearly pitch black appearance.

It seemed that Ed and his crew had the situation completely under control as Ed ran up to Herman and suggested after he kicked a guard in the crotch "Herman,I'm gonna need you to play leader for a little bit,I'm going after Rebecca." to which the wolf stood up tall and saluted before he punched a guard who was about to attack him from behind in the nose with his balled up paw.

"Thanks buddy,you're the best." Ed smiled and happily thanked the wolf for his help as he gave him a short but sweet hug before he yelled while he ran up the stairs "Keep fighting gang,we're almost done here!" to which Herman barked orders to the other animals and continued to fight off the guards,unaware that due to all the ruckus some of the pillars were slowly starting to fall apart. Once Ed had made it up the stairs and quickly ran down the hall to the front office,he ended up running along the wall for a brief moment and kicked one of the only guards in the face and knocked him out before he burst right through the office door to be immediately greeted by the sight of Mrs Hampton standing a few feet in front of him as she calmly greeted him "Hello Ed." to which the voice of Rebecca screamed out in terror from the left "Ed she's got a gun! She's got a gun!" before the woman suddenly fired it in a frenzy,just barely missing Ed as it instead knocked off his hat while he frantically scampered around the room.

"Mrs Hampton stop! No!" Rebecca called out and pleaded in a panic as Mrs Hampton continued to fire bullet after bullet at Ed,but it seemed that he was far too quick for her to get even one hit at him since he manager to dodge every single bullet she fired before he playfully laughed and remarked as he slid right into Mrs Hampton's shin while she tried to reload the revolver "And I thought the stormtroopers from Star Wars had bad aim." to which the woman growled in pain "You little brat!"

It was then that Ed began to punch and kick her in the face over and over again as he slid and darted around the office at an incredibly nimble speed while he decided to make more quips " _Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting! Your mind becomes as fast as lighting!"_ before being suddenly cut off when Mrs Hampton managed to grab ahold of him by the neck,slammed him down on the ground and started to choke him while she evilly whispered to him "Rebecca is mine Ed,and I will not let you take her away from me." However Mrs Hampton would suddenly feel a great deal of pain and discomfort when Rebecca suddenly smacked her in the head with one of the broken pieces of wood from the table before she let go of Ed and slowly turned around to see the girl wearing an angry and resentful scowl as she fiercely demanded "Let him go!" to which the woman quickly grabbed her by the neck and stated as she began to choke her "Rebecca,I finally understand now. You are not my daughter,you are a selfish,ungrateful little weed,and I'm gonna do what I should have done a long time ago!"

"No!" Ed called out in a panic when he regained his posture and saw that Mrs Hampton was about to choke Rebecca to death,but it seemed that she would be thankfully cut off when they all felt the ground beneath them start to give way. For thanks to one of the bears throwing one of the guards right through the slowly breaking away pillar down below,the only thing that was keeping the front office up was shattered as it quickly started to deteriorate. Mrs Hampton had since let go of Rebecca and allowed for her to try and crawl away along with Ed,but it seemed that it was already too late since the ground beneath had completely given way and they were now falling down to their deaths due to the height of the floor they were on as they all screamed in terror.

The animals down below on the other hand had since gotten rid of all the guards either due to scaring them to death,or knocking them out and they were quick to notice that the three of them along with a large amount of debris were falling down as they all frantically got out of the way. Ed,Mrs Hampton and Rebecca were just about to hit the ground and have their lives come to a sudden and horrific end,but just at the nick of time,Annabelle the eagle suddenly came flying through the now empty ceiling at lightning speed and quickly caught all three of them with her beak and her talons as they all stopped their screaming while Ed looked up at the bird and happily exclaimed in shock "Annabelle! You saved us!" to which the eagle loudly and proudly cawed before she brought the three of them down to the ground to safety.

* * *

The orphanage was now a complete and utter mess from top to bottom,the front hall was a complete disaster thanks to the animals' fight with the guards,and the main office upstairs was utterly demolished and turned into nothing but ash and rubble. The only part of the orphanage that was still clean and not turned into a pigsty was the hall where Rebecca's room was and the clocktower at the very top despite the animals' sudden and violent arrival knocking the bars off of Rebecca's window.

Once Annabelle slowly and gently put down Ed,Rebecca and Mrs Hampton,Rebecca suddenly gave Ed a huge and loving hug as she happily greeted him "Oh Ed! I'm so glad you're alright!" before the boy started to blush a little and replied with a bit of a nervous grin while he joined in on the hug "Hey it's no problem girl…..I just heard that you were being kept here and I thought it'd be something we oughta do. Right everyone?" to which Herman and rest of the animals smiled and nodded their heads before Rebecca finally let go of the boy.

"Well,I think that just about covers everything,the police should be here any minute now. Whatta you say we get you back home?" Ed sighed and happily suggested as the animals started to cheer in excitement despite the fact that they hadn't known Rebecca at all until this point,however before Rebecca could give any kind of response,they would all be directed over to Mrs Hampton,who had since collapsed on the ground in pain and dropped the gun as she begun to cough "You…..you really think I'm gonna let you go…..just like that...after everything?. to which Ed raised an eyebrow and replied in slight confusion "Uh,we guess so?"

It was then that Mrs Hampton started to quietly chuckle to herself for a brief moment before she asked with a twisted smile "And just where do you think you will go? They won't be there for you now that you have ditched them,and what makes you think you can live with this piece of gutter trash out in the woods? He's just a scared little boy,just like you." to which Ed scoffed and rolled his eyes as he retorted "Oh I may be just a quote on quote scared little boy,but I got quite a few tricks up my sleeve."

 **Ed:** _So when they tell you that you're finished,and your chance to dance is done,that's the time to stand,to strike up the band,and tell 'em that you've just begun. So when life's a real pea souper,you must choose to be a trooper,for your light comes with a lifetime guarantee,as you…...trip a little light fantastic,with me._

 **Rebecca:** _Went to the bank,rattle and clank,met with the boss,pitch and toss,got lost in the fog,lump on a log. Trip a little. Trip a little. Trip a little. Trip a little._

 **Both:** _Trip a little light fantastic!_

Immediately afterwards Ed smacked Mrs Hampton right in the face with his bare fist as she was instantly knocked out due to the sheer force of it,unaware that the next time she would wake up,she would be in a prison cell where she could never torment Rebecca or any potential future children ever again.

It was then that Rebecca felt this strange feeling of genuine freedom,not the mere feeling of temporary freedom she felt when she first left the orphanage,but the feeling of being legitimately free from this prison and way of life forever as she started to smile widely and remarked in awe "I…..I can't believe this. What is this feeling? I feel….happy…..free." to which Ed turned around and tried to cheerfully explain it to her "Why that's the feeling of being free you're feeling Rebecca,you no longer have to answer to this witch of a lady. Just think about it,you're finally about to get yourself real parents again,that has to excite you in someway."

However it was then that Rebecca's smile slowly faded away into a look of mere indifference as Ed's cheerful grin faded away as well before he asked in confusion "What's wrong Rebecca? Don't you want new parents again after being without your other ones for so long?" to which the girl slowly nodded her head and replied "Of course I do Ed,that's why I've stayed here for so long in the hopes of getting adopted one day until I learned about Mrs Hampton's true colors,but the thing is…...I haven't lost my parents at all,not really."

 **Rebecca:** _Nothing's gone forever only….out of place. So when I need their touch,and loving gaze,"gone but not forgotten" is the perfect phrase,smilin' from a star,that they make glow. Trust they're always there,watching as I grow,find them in the place where the lost things go._

Ed and the animals were left in absolute awe as the former begun to smile once again as he stated in bewilderment while Rebecca started to blush a little "Rebecca…...in the days since I've known you,I've seen you truly grow as a person in a way I've never seen a kid before. You're right,of course you're right Rebecca,your parents aren't gone. They're in your smile,and in your walk,and your eyes. They'll always be with you,wherever you go." before Rebecca suddenly gave him a full blown kiss on the lips as his eyes widened out of shock,he turned bright pink at the instant,and even the animals gasped out of a mixture of shock and happiness for them.

Once Rebecca and Ed were finally able to break free of each other,the latter was left almost completely speechless as he nervously chuckled and asked "So…..um…..whatta you say we get you back home now?" while Rebecca sighed and jokingly retorted "Do you even need to ask that Ed? But first there's something I have to do." to which Ed shrugged his arms and replied "Okay,take your time. We'll be waiting outside." before he and the animals headed outside to wait.

* * *

Once it was just Rebecca and Rebecca alone in the orphanage aside from the now knocked out Mrs Hampton,she took one last look at the woman and developed a cold and resentful glare as she bid her farewell for the very last time "Goodbye Mrs Hamptom." before she grabbed a blank piece of paper and pencil from one of the drawers lying around and headed back upstairs to her room. Knowing that this was the last time she would ever be in it was an odd and honestly kind of sad feeling as well as she sighed and said to herself while she opened up her now bar free window and stared off into starry night sky "So…...I guess this is it. I can't believe I'm doing this,all my life I've been controlled and manipulated by that…...thing down there,but it all ends tonight. I'm gonna live the life I should have been living a long time ago,Charlie Brown,I'm coming home,"

However before she took her leave of the orphanage with Ed and the animals for the very last time,she ultimately decided to write a short but sweet message on the piece of paper she had brought up on the window sill,and once she was done and took one last look at it,she only saw the words "I'm coming home. Rebecca." before she tossed it out the window and let the wind carry it back to Sparkyville.

 **Rebecca:** _I got the wind in my hair and a fire within 'cause there's something beginning,I got a life to embrace and excitement to spare! Got beautiful breeze blowing through,I'm ready to follow it who knows where,and I'll get there I swear,with the wind in my hair!_

" **Ready As I'll Ever Be" "Trip A Little Light Fantastic Reprise" "The Place Where Lost Things Go Reprise" and "Wind In My Hair Reprise" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records**

 **Author's Note: Just one chapter left to go everyone,let's finish this thing sometime tomorrow night. Also yes you can consider Rebecca X Ed a thing,I originally wanted Rebecca X Charlie Brown to be a thing,but then I remembered that he already has a thing with Heather in the context of these two stories.**


	20. Chapter 20: Homecoming(Finale)

Chapter 20: Homecoming(Finale)

In the few days that it took Rebecca,Ed and Herman to make it back to Sparkyville after their little confrontation with Mrs Hampton,a lot of things had happened to put it lightly. Rebecca's letter had since made it back to Sparkyville and ended up in Charlie Brown's mailbox which resulted in him nearly fainting and having a heart attack when he eventually found it and showed it to the others,the police had long since raided the orphanage not too long after Ed and Rebecca left and sent Mrs Hampton off to prison,and all of the guests that Linus and the others had invited for the 4'th Of July such as Heather,Violet,Pierre and the rest of Snoopy's family were starting to pour in due to the fact that it already was the 4'th and nearing time for the fireworks show when Rebecca,Ed and Herman made it to the very edge of Charlie Brown's side of town despite the two of them not even knowing.

As Rebecca and Ed slowly got off of Herman's back and Rebecca began to observe the neighborhood she hadn't been in at all for years,she immediately began to feel an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia flow through her veins as she remarked in awe "I can't believe this,I'm actually back here. It's like this place hasn't changed one bit,I wonder if the kite eating tree is still up." to which Ed lightly chuckled and replied "Yeah,honestly I think I'm growing a liking to this place,may consider staying a while." before he turned towards Rebecca and politely asked "So…..you ready?"

However it was then that Rebecca's bright and chipper smile slowly faded away into one of uncertainty as she nervously replied "Of course I am but…...what if they're angry with me after I left them back in the woods? What if they suddenly don't want me back anymore?" to which Ed merely shrugged his arms and nonchalantly retorted "Well the way I see it,is that you'll never know unless you try." before he continued in a much kinder and loving tone of voice "Don't worry,I'll go with you. He's probably long received that letter of yours and is anxiously waiting for you right now."

Rebecca once again started to grow a bit of a smile as she gave Ed a light hug and happily stated "Thanks you guys." before she patted Herman on the head and suggested much more determined "Let's go." to which the three of them started to walk through the neighborhood and head towards Charlie Brown's house.

 **Rebecca's Thoughts:** _All those days watching from the windows,all those years outside looking in,all that time,never even knowing just how blind I've been._ _Now I'm here blinking in the starlight,now I'm here suddenly I see,standing here,it's all so clear,I'm where I'm meant to be._

 _And at last I see the light,and it's light the fog has lifted,and at last I see the light,and it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and really bright,and the world has somehow shifted._

Pretty soon Rebecca and Ed would be halted when they passed by the kite eating tree and saw what appeared to Charlie Brown anxiously pacing back and forth at the bottom of the hill for some reason.

 _All at once,everything looks different,now that I see you._

It was then that Rebecca took a deep breath and said to herself "Here goes." before she,Ed and Herman walked towards the boy to greet him. Once Charlie Brown eventually noticed their presence,his anxious frown quickly morphed into an ecstatic grin as he ran towards them and happily greeted them "Rebecca,Ed,Herman! You're here!" to which Rebecca quickly gave him a hug and greeted him back "We just got here not too long ago,did you get my letter?"

"Of course I did,that's all I've been thinking about for the past day." Charlie Brown laughed and happily confirmed that he did as Rebecca developed a guilt filled frown and tried to apologize for leaving "Look Charlie Brown,I am so sorry for ditching you guys in the forest,I was just scared to think of the possibility of getting put in another orphanage here,but I'm actually not scared anymore." to which Charlie Brown smiled and cheerfully forgave her "Rebecca,it's alright,really,what matters is that you're here. And what a time for you three to show up."

It was then that Rebecca and Ed got slightly confused looks on their faces as the former asked in confusion "What do you mean by that? Is there something going on?" before Charlie Brown raised an eyebrow and replied a little confused himself "It's the 4'th Of July…...the fireworks show is just about to start." to which Rebecca and Ed's eyes widened out of surprise while the former gasped "Oh really? D-did I miss anything?"

"Nope,y'all got here just in time. Come on I got us a good spot with the others." Charlie Brown shook his head and gleefully suggested as the four of them went up the hill to be met with a huge surprise,at least for Rebecca. Sitting at the bottom of the hill and across the grassy fields was what looked like the entire neighborhood staring up at the sky in anticipation for the fireworks,and Linus and the rest of the gang including some of the kids she had not known yet such as Violet,Patty Swanson,Shermy,Pig-Pen,Franklin,Rerun and Freida were all having a picnic along with Violet,Pierre,Heather,Snoopy's family,Amy,Jasper,Woodstock and the rest of the birds just up ahead.

"Hey everyone,look who's here!" Charlie Brown ecstatically called out to the others while he,Rebecca,Ed and Herman walked towards the group as they all turned around and happily greeted them over each other. Snoopy,Amy and Jasper were especially happy to see Rebecca again as all three of them ran/hopped/flew over and instantly gave her a tight hug that she quickly joined in while she ecstatically greeted them back "Snoopy! Amy! Jasper! How have y'all been?!" before they eventually sat down and joined the others and waited for the show.

"Watch this." Charlie Brown suddenly whispered into Rebecca's ear before what appeared to be a huge barrage of fireworks lit up the sky as everyone and especially Rebecca was left in complete awe.

 **Charlie Brown's Thoughts:** _All those days chasing down a daydream,all those years living in a blur. All that time,never truly seeing things,the way they were._ _Now she's here shining in the starlight,now she's here,suddenly I know,if she's here,it's crystal clear,I'm where I'm meant to go._

 **Charlie Brown And Rebecca:** _And at least I see the light!_

 **Charlie Brown:** _And it's like the fog has lifted._

 **Charlie Brown And Rebecca:** _And at last I see the light!_

 **Rebecca:** _And it's like the sky is new._

 **Charlie Brown And Brown:** _And it's warm and real and bright,and the world is somehow shifted. All at once,everything is different,now that I see you. Now that I see you._

As the fireworks continued to light up the neighborhood and night sky,Rebecca soon noticed that everyone was happily glancing at her with smiles on their faces for a brief moment before they all redirected their attention to the fireworks,for the first time in what felt like a long time,she felt like she had a family again as she happily whispered to herself "I'm finally home."

* * *

Rebecca had an absolutely wonderful time at the fireworks show and the carnival that followed the very next day,she ended up going on so many rides that she had never experienced before such as the spinning teacups,a small haunted house,the hall of mirrors and so much more,not to mention that she ended up playing in a music contest with Snoopy and his family as she decided to play the accordion with them,and they actually ended up winning the first prize blue ribbon along with learning some French from Violet,Pierre and Marcie.

However it was when the day came to an end that Rebecca knew that the time had come for her to start looking for a family to adopt her as she,Snoopy's family and the rest of the gang took the bus to Patty and Marcie's side of town to start their search. The sun was slowly beginning to set and Rebecca and the others were soon standing a few feet away from the front door of a small,relatively nice looking house with the bus still behind them while Rebecca slowly walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

The wait for someone to possibly answer the door felt like it went on and on for an eternity and Rebecca was starting to feel incredibly nervous due to what could potentially happen,but soon an older man and woman would finally answer the door as they looked down at the girl with a look of curiosity as Rebecca cleared her throat and greeted them "Hello Mr And Mrs Henderson,my name is Rebecca Hornwell and I am an orphan looking for a home. I've heard that the two of you are lonely and could use a kid,a daughter,and I was wondering if I could fill in the gap for you?"

Afterwards the man and the woman slowly headed off into the house to likely discuss the sudden proposition they were given,and after a whopping 2 minutes the couple finally came back to the front door with huge smiles on their faces as the man happily remarked "Welcome to the family Rebecca." to which the girl gasped out of shock and happiness while the rest of the gang cheered in excitement behind her.

It was then that Rebecca suddenly ran up to Charlie Brown and gave a huge and loving hug as she happily told him under her own tears of joy "Thank you all,for everything." to which the boy started to get a little red in the face while he stammered back "I-it's really nothing Rebecca." before Peppermint Patty slapped him on the back and retorted "Really nothing Chuck? Rebecca just got herself a family,you call that nothing?"

"Well done Rebecca,you've earned this." Marcie sighed and happily congratulated Rebecca for the new family as Linus and the others gleefully nodded their heads in agreement to which Rebecca slowly started to step on backwards and bid them farewell for the time being "Well…...see y'all later." before she sprinted right towards her parents and gave both a crushing hug that they quickly joined in as well. Lucy and some of the others were silently crying to themselves at the display as Rebecca waved goodbye to them one last time to which they all waved back before Rebecca and her new family shut the door behind them.

Afterwards everyone was left with this huge feeling of satisfaction in them as Charlie Brown couldn't get rid of the smile he had on his face before he and the others all boarded the bus and headed on back to their part of town. For the first time in what felt like an eternity,things felt like they were back to normal again.

*Montage of Rebecca living her new life.*

 _Singing to myself,singing for the neighbors,holdin' out for work,holdin' out for paper. I was on the left,you were only fading,I was on my own,staring at the ceiling hold,holdin' out._ _Read it on a map,never how I planned it,holdin' on for work,taking it for granted. I was looking up,I was being blinded,holdin' on for work,hoping that I'd find it._

 _Ho! Ho! Hoooo! Ho! Hoooo!_

*Montage of Rebecca going to school with Patty,Marcie and Franklin.*

 _I was looking up,holdin' on to patience,counting up the days,days that I'd been waiting. You can take your time,I'll be on the front porch,keeping on the light you can see it if you look for it._

 _Ho! Ho! Hoooo! Ho! Hoooo!_

*Montage of Rebecca joining the rest of the gang on a trip to France.*

 _I would lie awake at night,hoping that one day I'd run,I had waited all my life._

 _Ho! Ho! Hoooo! Ho! Hoooo!_

 _Yeah I was holdin'. (Singing to myself.) Holdin' you. (Holdin' on for work.) Yeah holdin'. (I was on the map.) Waited for you. (I was on my own.) Waited for._

 **The End**

" **I See The Light" Copyright Of Walt Disney Records And "Holdin' Out" Copyright Of WaterTower Music.**


End file.
